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ielene’s Sweetheart 

(The Marriage of Gerard) 

g 

By ANDRE THEURIET 


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THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 







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Helene’s Sweetheart 

(The Marriage of Gerard) 


BY 

AND{(E VhEURIET 

Xentber of the French Academy 


...TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY... 

/Hiarp Xtnsap Mathine 


illNDVSTRlAA 

5CMPERCRE5CAM 



CHICAGO 

LAIRD & LEE, Publishers 


39482 

Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1891. by Laiid & Lee, in 
the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 


CoryBiGHT, 1899, by Wm. H. Lee. 


copies 






HELENE’S SWEETHEART 


1 

What soothing voices have the bells that still 
sound the curfew in certain little provincial 
towns! That familiar music sweetly closes the 
day of labor, and lulls the children to sleep in 
their little osier beds more gently than a nursery 
song. There is something so friendly and com- 
forting in the full tones — something so grand 
and peaceful. The curfew of Juvigny-en-Barrios 
has such accents. Its mellow voice is heard 
every evening at eight o’clock in winter, at 
nine o’clock in summer, from the top of the mass- 
ive clock-tower which is the only ornament left, 
in the mural crown of the old town, by Louis 
XIV., that great destroyer of Lorraine fortresses. 

One beautiful Sunday in July, i86 — , the 
last vibrations of the bell faded away along 


6 


HELENE^S SWEETHEART 


the vineyards where the houses of Juvigny, 
scattered here and there on the verdant hills 
sloping toward the river Ornain, have the ap- 
pearance of a straggling flock of white sheep de- 
scending to a watering-place. 

In a garden that bloomed behind an ancient 
house of the upper town, a young man leaning on 
a wall of the terrace, contemplated the steep 
declivity of the gorge of Palval lying between 
two vineyards already veiled in the twilight. 
The first stars had opened their diamond 
eyes above the ridge of woody hills that bor- 
dered the horizon, and far away in the direction 
of the woods, the rumbling of wheels resounded 
along the stony road. 

Breaking the silence that succeeded the mu- 
sical strokes of the bell, the east wind bore in 
joyous breaths the music of a fete Champetre hid- 
den from view under the trees of a neighboring 
grove. The young man lifted his head and drew 
a long breath of the sonorous air, as if he wished 
to drink in the melodious sounds borne to him 
on the breeze. 

“Monsieur Gerard,” suddenly cries behind him 
the nasal voice of the old servant of the house; 
“M. de Seigneulles has already gone to bed; 
Baptiste and I are about to go also. Isn’t it 
time for you to come in?” 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


7 


"Directly, Manette. " 

The old woman, after double locking the 
door that led into the vineyard, returned to 
her young master. 

"Good night then," she said; "when you come 
in do not forget to close the vestibule; your 
father does not like to sleep with open doors." 

"Yes, yes,” responded the young man impa- 
tiently; "good night.” 

Gerard de Seigneulles was a youth of twenty- 
three. His figure was slender but well-built; his 
complexion fair, and his eyes deep blue, that 
contrasted strangely with his black hair and 
brown mustache. 

His physiognomy was emotional; passion seemed 
concealed and restrained by a singular timidity; 
this melange giving to his person an appearance 
of reserve that people generally mistook for cold- 
ness and indifference. His father, a Chevalier de 
Saint-Louis and ancient garde-du-corps under 
the Restoration, was married very late in life, 
and before the lapse of many years was a wid- 
ower. 

Gerard, his only son, had been reared with old- 
fashioned severity. An obstinate and ardent 
Legitimist, with an uncultured intellect but with 
a good heart and a proverbial honesty, the Chev- 


8 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


alter ^ as he was called at Juvigny, had always 
upheld the principle that a son should obey his 
parents passively until he became of age, and with 
him majority was not reached until the age of 
twenty-five, in accordance with the old law. 

When Gerard was twelve years old, he was sent 
to a Jesuit college at Metz, He ever remembered 
with a shudder his vacations whenever he re- 
turned home with bad marks. 

He would often make the tour of the whole 
town, five or six times, before he dared en- 
counter the inevitable paternal reprimand, 
so terrible was the noisy wrath of M. de Seig- 
neulles. Soon after his graduation, he took a 
course of law at Nancy, but there, as elsewhere, 
the austere Chevalier took good care not to 
loosen the reins. He put his son to board with 
an old relative, where, to gain his apartment, he 
had to pass through the chamber of that re- 
spectable dowager, thus obliging him to return 
at an early hour, and rendering impossible any 
nocturnal emancipation. Under such surveillance, 
one can well understand why the young man did 
not long pursue the study of law. After passing 
with difficulty his four examinations and win- 
ning his diploma, he was en route to Juvigny 
before the expiration of a month. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


9 


Notwithstanding this cloisteral education, 
Gerard was worldly to the marrow in his bones, 
and his artificial virtues pressed heavily upon 
him. 

Instinct and temperament scarcely ever change, 
and young Seigneulles was soon seized with a 
violent desire for the pleasures of the world. 
He had warm blood and an inquisitive mind; 
and as, up to that time, the sugar-plums of life 
had been kept beyond his reach, he promised to 
crunch them with avidity the day he would have 
them in his grasp. 

Unluckily, from the very first day of his return, 
he had to fight against his natural impulses. 
Although Juvigny was the chief town of the De- 
partment, pleasures did not abound there, and 
the life one led at the house of M. de Seig- 
neulles was anything but cheerful for a lively 
youth of twenty-three. 

The Chevalier never saw anyone but the 
Cur^ of the parish and two or three venerable 
gentlemen of his own age. Although he gave his 
son a little more liberty than formerl}^ he did not 
allow him much means to profit by it; so that, 
among the young people of Juvigny, whose man- 
ners and language were unlike his own, Gerard 
found himself awkward and unnatural. 


10 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


How he hated such an existence! Impatient 
aspirations swelled his breast and mounted to 
his lips. Ardent by nature, his head full of 
desires, his body teeming with the sap of 
adolescence, he often said to himself that every 
moment of that miserable life was so much stolen 
from his youth; and almost as restless in his 
solitude as a squirrel in its cage, he often yawned 
with ennui and lassitude. 

One evening a young girl named Reine Le- 
comte, a seamstress whom Manette sometimes 
employed by the day, surprised him in just such 
a state of mind. 

Coquettish and wanton, as are all the grisettes 
of Juvigny, she looked at him out of the cor- 
ner of her eye as he passed her, walking with 
bowed head and folded arms in the paternal gar- 
den. 

“Monsieur Gerard," she said suddenly, looking- 
up from her work, "you have the air of being 
greatly bored. ” 

“That is true,” he responded, blushing, yet 
lingering to converse with her, “for I find the 
days long and tiresome.” 

“It is because you do not know how to amuse 
yourself. Why not go to the ball at the Willows 
to-morrow night?” 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


11 


"Go to a ball?" gasped Gerard, trembling lest 
his father should hear him. 

"Yes, like the other young gentlemen. They 
think you are too proud, and scorn to go to our 
working folks’ balls.” 

"They are mistaken," he replied; "I do not go 
beause I am not acquainted with any one.” 

"Bah! you will have plenty of partners if you 
come to-morrow night. I will promise you a 
quadrille myself.” 

While chatting with him, little Reine gathered 
up the linen from, the bench upon which she 
sat, and folded it neatly. The rays of the setting 
sun crept through the foliage of the trees and 
shone upon her laughing, dimpled face, reveal- 
ing a pair of bright black eyes, a retrouss^ 
nose, and glittering white teeth. 

After awhile she went away, smiling upon the 
young man in a way to set him to dreaming. 

The next morning, he began to ponder upon 
the idea of a flight to the Ball of the Willows, 
weighing in the balance the attraction of the for- 
bidden fruit and the risk of his father’s anger. 

This then explained why the joyous sounds of 
music in the distance caused him, that evening, 
so singular an emotion, 

A Parisian, accustomed to spending his youth 


12 


THE MHRRIAGE OF GERARD 


in revelry and in a continual whirl of pleasure, 
would have smiled at the agitation caused by the 
thought of a workman’s ball; but, for Gerard, 
reared like a girl and having so seldom tasted 
the grapes of enjoyment, this ball had the mys- 
terious seduction of a sin committed for the 
first time. To him, the public garden of the 
Willows was a forbidden realm, full of new and 
intoxicating odors. 

A sudden burst of music from the orchestra 
triumphed over his last hesitation; he deter- 
mined to attend the ball. It was folly to think 
of going through the vineyard door, for Manette 
had taken away the keys, so Gerard climbed over 
the wall of the terrace, and leaping lightly upon 
the orchard grass, he glided cautiously through 
the vines. A quarter of an hour afterward he 
was trudging along under the great plane-trees 
of the avenue that bordered an arm of the Or- 
nain, which was now enveloped in darkness. At 
the extreme end of the avenue, at the entrance 
CO the public garden, colored lanterns were sus- 
pended from the branches of the trees, and scat- 
tered here and there in the foliage, resembling 
glow-worms. When the music ceased, one could 
hear only the rippling of the water under the 
trees. 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


13 


Arriving at a rustic bridge which led to the 
Willows, Gerard, breathless and panting, felt his 
courage diminishing. He did not know how to 
present himself at the ball, and he lingered un- 
decided on the bank of the river. The orchestra 
played a waltz; through the hedges he could see 
the couples turning under the garlands and 
wreaths of flowers, in a circle full of luminous 
dust. Merry bursts of laughter mingled with the 
soft notes of the flute and the shrill tones of the 
violin: and the air was full of intoxicating odors 
of reseda and clematis. Gerard crossed the 
bridge and sheltered behind the fir trees and ob- 
scure hedges; he walked along, shame-faced, and 
at length he stood behind the row of matrons at- 
tired in their Sunday clothes, and the crowd of 
curious burghers, who were spectators of the 
ball in the open air. 

His eyes were dazzled, coming so suddenly 
from the deep shadow, and it was with difficulty 
that he distinguished among the dancers the ra- 
diant face of little Reine. She was arrayed in a 
costume of flowered muslin, and on her head was 
a tiny bonnet of red roses and bright ribbons that 
fluttered in the breeze. She was dancing with a 
great robust youth with a bushy blonde beard and 
a ruddy countenance who waltzed admirably, 


14 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


and who seemed to be the leading man at the 
dance. He wore a broad-brimmed felt hat; a 
long coat of black velvet; a scarlet cravat, and 
pantaloons of white cassimere, ornamented with 
a black stripe; a toilet at once careless and loud, 
contrasting greatly with the correct coats and 
high hats of the other young men. 

The grace and suppleness of the waltzer of 
the velvet coat seemed to excite the unbounded 
admiration of the lookers-on. 

“See,” said one old gossip, “little Reine loves 
good dancers, for she has not left M. Laheyrard 
this evening.” 

“She is avenging herself on the brother, for 
the turn the sister has played her,” said an ill- 
favored girl, a tapestry-maker. “Mademoiselle 
Laheyrard has stolen from Reine her lover.” 

“What! that little Finoel! has he taken it 
into his head to marry the Parisian?” 

“He is always tied to her petticoats, and she 
drags him along like her shadow,” replied the 
tapestry-maker. 

The waltz being finished, Gerard went in with 
beating heart in search of little Reine. Observ- 
ing that the young men wore gloves when they 
danced, he felt in his pockets and found a pair 
of black ones. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


15 


They did not go to much trouble or expense 
to keep up with the fashions at the house of M. 
de Seigneulles, and black was there the color a 
la mode. While Gerard was sadly staring at this 
livery of mourning, and asking himself if he had 
not better dance with bare hands, he heard the 
signal for the quadrille, and found himself sud- 
denly lace to face with Reine Lecomte. 

“So you are here!” she cried gayly. “You have 
kept your word; give me your arm.” 

Gerard hastily thrust his fingers into the 
said black gloves, and with little Reine hanging 
on his arm they walked triumphantly to their 
place in the most brilliantly lighted part of the 
ball-room. She was not sorry to show to them 
all that she had for a partner a very handsome 
young man, and heir to one of the best families 
of Juvigny. Gerard, seeing that all eyes were 
upon him, began to lose his courage. Several of 
the dancers who knew him and did not like him, 
looked at him askance and sneered among them- 
selves. Gerard felt ill at ease, and began to re- 
gret his escapade, when the orchestra struck up 
a prelude. 

At that moment the jolly young man with the 
velvet coat approached little Reine and said in 
a tone half-bantering, half in earnest: 


16 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"What, queen of my heart ! Have you broken 
your promise and bestowed your favors on a 
stranger?" 

"Yes,” she responded airily; "M. de Seigneulles 
is here for the first time and we must encourage 
beginners. ’’ 

"I know that you love to give instructions," 
replied the young man with a burst of laughter, 
and lifting his hat, "my compliments, monsieur.” 

Gerard bit his lips and blushed. 

"Shut up, impertinence,” cried Reine, and 
turning toward her partner she asked him if he 
had a vis-a-vis. On his replying in the negative 
she turned again to the young man with the 
blonde beard. 

"Well then, mauvais sujei, go quickly, get a 
partner and be our vis-a-vis.” 

"At your command, Duchess!” 

He bowed profoundly, then whirling on his 
heel he was soon back again with a young girl. 

The quadrille began ; Gerard did not talk much 
to Reine, for he was entirely ignorant of the 
language in which to speak to a grisette; so the 
conversation lagged, and the son of M. de Seig- 
neulles began to think that a ball was far from 
possessing the charms of which he had dreamed. 

He trembled lest he should commit some awk- 








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THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


17 


wardness in dancing, but fortunately the quadrille 
was executed with so little ceremony that a child 
would have been at ease. But the cavalier seal 
was really a trial to him; he knew that all eyes 
were upon him, so he advanced timidly, not know- 
ing what to do with his arms, and hardly daring 
to raise his eyes. He realized his own inferiority 
when he saw the accomplishments of his vis-a-vis 
in the velvet coat. 

He led out with a number of fancy steps, 
during which he waved his arms in the air above 
his head like the wings of a gigantic insect, 
then suddenly stopped short, balanced himself 
lightly and gravely before Gerard, made a gro- 
tesque bow, and kissing his fingers to the two 
dancers he took their hands and terminated it all 
in a merry rondeau. 

"Who is this young man?" demanded Gerard 
of Reine. 

"Why he is your neighbor, the son of the In- 
spector of the Academy. Ah! I wager that you 
are better acquainted with his sister, the beauti- 
ful Helen Laheyrard.” 

"No, for I have just arrived from Nancy and I 
am acquainted with no one.” 

"You will know her soon enough, ” replied little 
Reine with ill-concealed malice as she continued 

The Marriage of Gerard 2 


18 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


to speak of her. "Dieu! if the rest of us were 
allowed to do one-half that is permitted that 
Parisian, there would not be enough stones to 
throw at us !” 

"Truly; and is she so beautiful?" 

"That depends on one^s taste," responded 
Reine with disdain; "there are people who rave 
over her big eyes that look as if they wished to 
devour the world, and her lovely curls hanging 
down her back. As for me, I wouldn’t go out of 
my way to see her; but men are so stupid." 

The final galop cut short this conversation, and 
Gerard who had regained a little of his courage 
placed his arm about the young girl and whirled 
around like the others in the ball-room. He 
greatly liked to dance in this fashion, and proud 
of having gotten along so well he was thinking 
of starting out again, when an exclamation from 
a person on the bench, to which he had con- 
ducted Reine, made him turn on his heel. It was 
a neighbor who came to tell the young girl that 
the five black fingers of Gerard’s glove were im- 
printed on her white bodice. "Ah! M. de Seig- 
neulles, you are a nice fellow! " cried the grisette. 
"See how you have spoiled my dress! ” 

Poor Gerard, stupefied and abashed, wished 
himself a hundred miles away. They all formed 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


in 


a circle around him and began to laugh malic- 
iously as he blushed and stammered out an 
apology. 

"Ma foi!” cried a bantering voice behind him, 
“since M. de Seigneulles permits his son to at- 
tend a ball he should at least be willing to buy 
him a pair of yellow gloves!" 

"Bah!” said another who wished to be witty, 
"the aristocracy of the upper town is all alike; 
they keep their wardrobes as well as their hopes 
in mourning.’’ 

Gerard lost patience; turning toward the speak- 
er he seized him by the coat-collar and shook 
him violently. 

"Sir!" he cried, "I believe that you wish to 
insult me!” 

In an instant he was surrounded by a crowd of 
shop-keepers, who began to bully him. "Out with 
him!" they cried; "this is one of the nobility who 
imagine they can be masters at our balls." 

"Hold, messieurs!” exclaimed a ringing voice; 
"is this the way you show your hospitality?" 

With two blows from his massive shoulders, 
M. Laheyrard made way through the crowd and 
quickly placed himself by the side of Gerard. 
With his hands squarely upon his hips, he de- 
fied the assailants. 


30 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"This is a great noise," he continued, "to make 
about a soiled dress. Monsieur will be glad to 
offer a new one to Mile. Reine; that is his affair. 
But is this a reason for you to conduct your- 
selves like dogs that bark at strangers passing 
through the town? I find you perfectly absurd, 
and I tell you this much that the first one who 
takes a step toward my young friend will first 
gain an intimate acquaintance with my two fists. 
A word to the wise!" 

The assailants looked at him dubiously, 
mentally contemplating the strength of arm of 
M. Laheyrard, and after some low grumbling, 
they dispersed at the first sounds of the orches- 
tra that announced a new quadrille. 

Gerard thanked warmly his defender, who 
shrugged his shoulders, and led his protdgd aside 
to an unfrequented walk. 

"You are then really at the ball of the Wil- 
lows for the first time?" he demanded; and re- 
ceiving an answer in the affirmative, he contin- 
ued; 

"One can see that you still have to acquire the 
sailor' s foot^ but you will overcome that with a 
little practice." 

Gerard replied that this unfortunate affair had 
disgusted him with public balls for some time to 


THE MHRRl/tGE OF GERARD 


21 


come; and he was about to take leave of his new 
friend. 

“Wait a moment,” cried M. Laheyrard, “I 
will not leave you; the avenue is obscure and 
deserted; these idiots might there be able to 
take their revenge." 

"If I am not mistaken,” said Gerard, "we are 
neighbors. My name is Gerard de Seigneulles, 
and I believe it is to the son of the Inspector, 
M. Laheyrard, to whom I have the pleasure of 
speaking." 

"Yes," responded his companion, complacently 
stroking his blonde beard, "Marius Laheyrard, 
student at the Paris University and the editor of 
U Aurore Bor^ale, a journal of the new school; 
you have often read therein, no doubt, verses of 
my own composition.” 

"Pardon me,” said Gerard politely, "I must con- 
fess that I have never seen the journal, but I will 
procure it.” 

“I sign myself Mario," continued M. Laheyrard, 
"out of respect to the good man." 

“What good man?" interrupted Gerard, not 
comprehending him. 

“The good man Laheyrard, my father," replied 
the poet carelessly. “He has a horror of verses 
and he wishes to prevent my writing under the 


22 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


pretext that my Poetries Orgiaques compromise his 
dignity as a member of the University — but I give 
him as good as he sends.” 

"Ah!” murmured 5^oung Seigneulles, wondering 
at the want of respect with which his new ac- 
quaintance treated parental authority; but wish- 
ing to appear amiable, he added: 

“I greatly love poetry myself; I admire Lamar- 
tine. ” 

“Lamartine! an old stuffed nightingale!” said 
Marius irreverently. 

“But,” urged Gerard, “there is Jocelyn — ” 

"Jocelyn! that’s older than the moon!” ex- 
claimed M. Laheyrard mercilessly. Then with 
much spirit he expounded to his companion the 
whole of a th^orie poitiqne^ in which a combina- 
tion of curious, sonorous words took the place of 
emotion and depth of thought. 

“You see,” he continued with a superb air, “to 
awaken the inspiration that makes poems blos- 
som like dandelions in a meadow, it is only 
necessary, for us who ‘chisel words as statues,’ 
to light the lamps; then for the incomparable 
combat. ” 

Gerard listened in amazement. To join ex- 
ample to precept, Marius, as they walked along 
the silent streets, recited sonnets in which he 


THE M/IRRMGE OF GERARD 


23 


spoke of barren ages, frightful obscurities, and 
savage homesickness', the setting sun was compared 
to a drunkard beclouded with wine, and the stars 
to gold-fish swimming in an azure jar. After 
declaiming for nearly an hour, the poet stopped 
to knock the ashes from his pipe and to relight 
it. 

By the light of the match Gerard contem- 
plated his sensual, jovial features, and wondered 
how such funereal poetry could emanate from 
such a Rabelaisian head. 

"I am as dry as the sands of Sahara," ex- 
claimed M. Laheyrard, smacking his lips; "it is 
lamentable that the cafds be all closed at this 
hour.” 

Then he began to vaunt the virtues of 
the foaming beer; and passing from aesthetics 
to gastronomy, he soared aloft in a heroic style 
in praise of the bountiful dinner-parties they 
gave at Juvigny. The character of Marius was 
such a mixture of bizarre affectation, boyish 
blackguardism, and jovial good-fellowship, that 
Gerard could not determine whether he was a 
fool or a hoaxer. In a short time they reached 
the Rue du Tribel, where they both lived; Ma- 
rius drew from his pocket an enormous pass-key. 

"This," he said, "is the dainty little key that 


24 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


opens the paternal mansion; but I will first con- 
duct you to your door." 

"I have no key," stammered Gerard in confu- 
sion, "and I do not care to awaken my father.” 

He then recounted to Marius how he had 
jumped over the wall of the garden. Marius 
burst out laughing. 

"Ah!” cried he, holding his sides, "the black 
gloves, your timid dancing, and your behavior 
with little Reine are all explained. Go; you are 
a virtuous young man, and I hope we will meet 
again. Climb 3^our wall! Good night!” 

He entered the house whistling. As to Gerard, 
turning the corner of the street, he climbed 
through the vineyard and began the arduous task 
of scaling the terrace. Thanks to the old mess- 
grown hedge which made a natural ladder, he 
reached the top of the wall in safety, when a 
merr}^ voice startled him. 

"Bravo, bravo!” and lifting his liead, he per- 
ceived the poet smoking, perched upon the Bmb 
of a tree in the adjoining garden. 

The most difficult part was accomplished but 
with great precaution. Gerard crept to the ves- 
tibule and mounted the stairway on the tips of 
his toes. When he reached the landing opposite 
his father’s room, he believed himself safe, but, 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


25 


for some misfortune, he stumbled against some- 
thing in the darkness. Instantly the chamber 
door opened, and the Chevalier de Seigneulles 
appeared, enveloped in a flannel gown with a can- 
dle-stick in his hand. 

"By the Pope’s shoe!" he cried, "do you take 
my house for a furnished hotel! I had no idea 
that my doors were left open after ten o’clock. 
You ought to know — " and as Gerard tried to 
excuse himself, he continued with great severity: 

"Enough; go to bed! Present yourself to me 
to-morrow to make your apologies!" 


II 

On the morrow, shaving day, the Chevalier de 
Seigneulles was installed in a great leather chair 
in the middle of his kitchen, between his serv- 
ant, Manette, and his barber, Magdelinet. 

Manette was lighting a taper to warm the water 
for the soap, and the jet of flame cast its bright 
reflection on the iron jack-spit, the row of copper 
pans, and the high dresser, laden with plates 
and dishes. A ray of sunlight crept through the 
curtain of red cottonade, casting a beautiful 
shade of rose on the white hair of M. de Seign- 
eulles and upon the sleek and cunning face of 
Magdelinet who was engaged in sharpening his 
razor on a leather strap. 

The barber was a great talker, obsequious and 
insinuating; as spiteful as a wasp, but as timid 
as a hare. He was the first to learn the scandals 
at Juvigny, and he had the art of seasoning them 
with wicked comments and of giving to them a 
2G 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


27 


savor agreeable to the taste of his customers. 

M. de Seigneulles was the only one who re- 
ceived with a bad grace these stories of the gos- 
siping barber, who secretly nursed a grudge 
against him. 

On arising that morning, Magdelinet had heard 
the adventure of the Willows’ ball, and he 
wished to regale the Chevalier with it in order to 
wound his pride. His tongue itched to begin it, 
but he restrained himself, fearing the wrath of his 
austere customer, and while he whetted his razor 
he sought for a way in which to gratify his malice 
without being expelled from M. de Seigneulles’ 
presence. The ancient gai'de-du-corps seemed less 
disposed than usual to engage in conversation 
with the hair-dresser. 

He had arisen in an ill humor; his emaciated 
form was rigid; his gray eyes were fixed straight 
in front of him; his eyebrows had the air of two 
circumflex accents; and his nose, always like an 
eagle’s beak, was more pinched than usual this 
morning. He set his teeth and remained insen- 
sible even to the gambolings of his two favorite 
cats that frolicked in vain between his long, thin 
legs, mewing softly. 

“Where is my son?” he demanded brusquely. 

Manette replied that M. Gerard had gone to 


28 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


the country early that morning, not knowing 
whether he would return before noon, leaving 
word that they must not wait dinner for him. M. 
de Seigneulles growled with an air of discontent- 
ment. 

“M. Gerard,” graciously remarked Magdelinet, 
“is a handsome youth, and promises to become 
a good dancer.” 

“What do you know about it?” said M. de 
Seigneulles dryly. 

‘‘Oh! I only know from hearsay!” 

“What are you driving at with your hearsay? 
— My son never put his foot into a ball-room 
in his life, and I do not know that he will ever 
dance at a public place.” 

Magdelinet coughed discreetly and busied him- 
self in frothing the soap in the china shaving- 
cup. 

"Does M. de Seigneulles know M. Marius 
Laheyrard?” 

"What! that buffoon who blows a horn and 
keeps me from sleeping? Dieu! No! and I have 
no wish to become acquainted with him.” 

"M. Laheyrard is also a beautiful dancer and 
always has a merry word for everybody.” 

M. de Seigneulles made a gesture of impatience 
and Magdelinet began to rub the lather over his 


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THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


29 


cheeks and chin. When the old Chevalier, with 
his face plastered over with that unctuous coat- 
ing of foam was in no condition to talk, being 
entirely at the mercy of the barber, at that criti- 
cal moment, Magdelinet continued perfidious^: 

"The adventure of M. Laheyrard at the ball 
of the Willows created quite a sensation. 
You see, sir, he took sides against five or six 
quarrelsome fellows who wished to pick a fuss 
with a young gentleman who was not familiar 
with the customs, having come to the ball for 
the first time. Don’t you understand? Sought to 
molest an unoffending youth under the pretext 
that he belonged to the aristocracy, and that his 
father still mourned for Charles X. — ’’ 

He was violently interrupted by the old Cheva- 
lier who threw up his arms as if in pain. 

"His name!" he cried through the flakes of 
foam. "It is Gerard, is it not? Sangerbleu! 
Out with your mysteries, and tell me all without 
evasion. ” 

"Heaven defend me!” exclaimed the terrified 
barber, "I was not there. They have, it is true, 
spoken to me vaguely of M. Gerard, but I 
affirm nothing. Be still, M. de Seigneulles, or 
my razor will make a gash." 

"Tell me all," said the Chevalier with a scowl. 


30 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


The malicious barber did not wait to be urged. 
Without heeding the grimaces of Manette who 
shook her finger behind the arm-chair, he unrav- 
eled his skein to the last thread, describing the 
quadrille aad the galop danced by Gerard; his 
admiration for little Reine; the episode of the 
black gloves, and finally, the triumphant interfer- 
ence of Marius Laheyrard. M. de Seigneulles lis- 
tened patiently without interrupting him, but the 
muscles of his face were distended, his expression 
was very sorrowful and in his eyes was a cold 
stare. He seemed so mortified that the barber was 
afraid that he had gone too far, and thinking to 
mend matters he added afterward that Reine 
was quite a pretty girl, and that more than one 
of the fellows at the ball wished he had been in 
Gerard’s place. 

“Enough! ’’ growled the austere Chevalier. 
“Do you believe my son capable of associating 
with this seamstress? ’’ 

“And if he should,” answered the barber smil- 
ing, “provided a boy brings home his head on his 
shoulders one need not be disturbed." 

“But he may compromise this young girl,” 
cried M. de Seigneulles with horror depicted on 
his countenance. 

“Bah! Reine is a cunning little creature. That 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


31 


is her lookout; moreover, should she make a 
false step with M. Gerard it would be of no con- 
sequence. ’’ 

"Sir! Magdelinet 1” cried the Chevalier, his 
voice full of contempt. "With you tradesmen in 
the lower town such morality may pass, but 
with me, when one breaks a pane of glass one has 
to pay for it. The Seigneulleses have always 
lived above reproach and my son shall respect 
this young girl. I do not want him to expose 
himself to any scandalous intrigue, or worse 
than that.” 

"Manette, ” he added, arising haughtily, and 
wiping his chin, "tell Baptiste to saddle Bruno. ” 

M. de Seigneulles then went out without deign- 
ing to notice Magdelinet further, and the barber 
folded up his shaving apparatus and went away, 
followed by the reproaches of Manette. 

When Bruno was saddled, the Chevalier, who 
had arra 5 ^ed himself in his long brown riding 
coat and his broad-brimmed hat, descended to the 
courtyard, mounted his old horse and started forth 
on his daily ride. Every morning, after attending 
early mass, he completed his toilet and rode 
around the environs of the town for two hours. 
Sitting straight upon his saddle, never losing a 
hair-breadth of his stature, he wended his way 


32 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


slowly through the streets of Juvigny. When he 
passed before the plaster images of the Virgin 
that ornamented the cottages of the vine-dresser 
and which they decorate with black grapes on 
Assumption day, he never failed to stop Bruno 
and to raise his hat devoutly. 

This morning he was so absorbed in serious 
recreations that he took no notice of the draped 
facades of the vineyards, nor of the Notre -Dames 
in plaster. His head was lowered and he was 
thinking painfully of the words of Magde- 
linet. 

"So,” thought he, "Gerard has not escaped the 
contagion! I have watched over him in vain. I 
have endeavored to rear him religiously, and to 
keep him aloof from an impious and libertine 
world, but I have effected nothing! Wicked 
world!" he continued, whipping up Bruno, who, 
profiting by the distraction of his master was 
nibbling twigs from the hedges. "Epoch without 
principles or reverence! Leprosy has vitiated 
souls nourished upon the most holy doctrines. 
To go and compromise himself at a ball with 
grisettes! Has Gerard no shame? It is a terrible 
thing to have sons. As soon as they are twenty 
they are like those wines that begin to bubble as 
soon as the vine is in blossom, and break the 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


33 


bottles if they are not looked after. Sangrebleu! 
Are the hearts of all young people alike! ” 

Yes, they are all alike, and if M. de Seigneulles, 
sauntering along the path overhung with linden 
trees, had only looked around him he would have 
seen that all creation was a prey to the same 
troubles and the same temptations. Under the 
sweet-scented foliage of the lindens brilliant 
butterflies, with wings of rhother of pearl, floated 
in the sunlight, two and two — the gorgeous drag- 
oif-flies glittered, in couples, on the stalks of 
the bulrushes, and on the other side of the hedge, 
the reapers were kissing the girls without shame 
in the open daylight. 

The Chevalier may not have been impressed 
with all these things, but he lashed Bruno with 
a vigorous blow of his whip and the steed struck 
a brisk trot, not stopping to breathe till he had 
reached the uplands of Savonniere. The sun, 
already high in the heavens, spread a carpet of 
gold over the rustic landscape. Above the deep 
shadows of the gorge of Savonniere a light 
fog still hung, but on the uplands of the op- 
posite hills all was joyous and dazzlingly bright. 
Between the clumps of trees, though a transpar- 
ent veil of smoke, one could see the houses of 
Juvigny nestling on the hillsides. The deep verd- 

The Marriage of Gerard 3 


34 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


ure of the garden contrasted with the red roofs; 
the window panes scintillated, and above the 
flying vapors the spire of Saint-Etienne, and the 
great tower of the clock, rose luminously against 
the immaculate blue of the heavens. Below the 
town were vineyards, and vineyards, making a 
landscape of verdant, undulating knolls, reaching 
almost to the great forest of Argonne which like 
a distant blue-line marked the extreme limit of 
the horizon. 

Across the golden sunshine, through the lim- 
pid air, the serene voices of the bells of Juvigny 
floated in a sonorous chorus. 

The Chevalier loosened the reins and permitted 
Bruno to walk lazily along, as he drank in with 
a certain voluptuousness the harmony of the 
scene. It was his own country; from his infancy 
he had breathed its invigorating air and he ad- 
mired. it with patriotic pride. The misty moors; 
the vineyards resounding with the shrill pipings 
of the grasshopper; the moss-covered ancient 
houses of the upper town; the song of the very 
bells that had rung at his baptism; all recalled to 
him, without a doubt, the time of his own youth 
when he had a tender heart and was quick to 
yield to temptation. He felt softened, as if he 
had imbibed a refreshing dew, and for a moment 


THE M/IRRMGE OF GERARD 


35 


the heart of the austere old man was stirred with 
sentiments of humanity. 

“Ah well! " he sighed as he gave the spur to 
Bruno, “the boy must marry. After all it is but 
a question of time." 

Gerard’s marriage! this was the subject of his 
thoughts as he partook of his midday repast. 
The young man fearing a sudden outburst of pa- 
ternal wrath had not appeared. 

M. de Seigneulles dispatched his dinner and 
descended to the lower town as far as the house 
of an old lady, the widow of one of his friends, 
Madame de Travanette, by name. 

The widow’s house, situated in a part of Juvigny 
called the bourg^ was famous in the country for 
its beautiful stairway of hammered iron, its 
facade of the sixteenth century, and the elegant 
stone fountains in its garden. This house was a 
rendezvous for the few that were left of the local, 
ancient nobility. Every day, at three o’clock, 
these old friends assembled there to play back- 
gammon. 

This afternoon, when M. de Seigneulles entered 
the antique salon which was wainscoted with 
oak and hung with Flanders tapestry, he observed 
Madam de Travanette seated in her arm-chair, 
arrayed in a black silk, her form upright and vig- 


36 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


orous, in spite of her seventy years, under a 
front of false black hair. She was knitting indus- 
triously a woolen stocking. 

Leaning upon the arm of her chair was the 
Abbd Valland, Cur6 of Saint-Etienne, his eyes 
twinkling merrily as he listened to the confi 
dences of the old dame. He was a fat little man 
with short, plump hands, and thick lips that were 
cleft in the middle like a double cherry; and 
when he laughed he displayed rows of little 
square white teeth. That red cherry mouth; that 
ruddy retroussd nose, those sharp black eyes, 
twinkling under a tuft of thick gray hair, all 
said very plainly, that the Curd was a jolly com- 
panion, merry and good-natured, with unctuous 
manners and a delightful flow of spirits. 

On the arrival of M. de Seigneulles the Abbd 
Valland rose and made an elegant bow, an eccle- 
siastical bow that was full of reverence. At first 
they spoke of indifferent matters, then the name 
of Gerard was pronounced. 

“How is he?” demanded Madame de Travanette, 
“and is it true that you wish to make a magis 
trate of him?" 

“No,” answered the Chevalier; “not until the 
true government be re-established, shall Gerard 
take an oath he cannot observe. I am keeping 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


37 


my son for the day when our King shall return, 
and may it not be long!” 

■‘Amen!’’ sighed Madame de Travanette, “and 
may God hear you, but I fear that we will never 
see that day. Kings in exile do wrong; in the 
hearts of their subjects, they are only like those 
old friends who wish to renew a correspondence 
interrupted for many years; when the pen is 
picked up they perceive there is nothing more in 
common between them, and, hence, nothing to 
say. ’’ 

The Abb6, who abhorred politics, brushed 
absent-mindedly the specks of dust from the 
sleeves of his cassock. 

"In the meantime," continued Madame de 
Travanette, "what do you intend to do with 
Gerard?” 

"1 wish him to marry.” 

"So soon as this?” 

"It is not too soon," replied the Chevalier. 
He then recounted the story of Gerard’s es- 
capade at the ball of the Willows, while the 
Abb6 smiled with the knowing air of one already 
acquainted with the facts. When M. de Seign- 
eulles pronounced the name of Marius Lay- 
herard, Madame de Travanette threw up her 
hands in horror. 


38 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"Ah!” she cried; "what a family are those 
Layherards! No one ever heard of such a dis- 
ordered household. The children go with holes 
in their stackings, and nobody in the house ever 
touches a needle. I have nothing to say against 
the father; he is a poor unfortunate man, but the 
mother, what a fool! One cannot comprehend 
how she had even sufficient tact to secure a hus- 
band in a city where she led such a stormy 
youth Everyone knows that when she married 
M. Laheyrard there were ugly rumors about her. 
She made me a visit but I have never returned 
it, and I hope she will stay at home in the fut- 
ure. ” 

"Her eldest daughter is a girl of talent,” said 
the Abb6. 

"Poor child, I can hardly blame her, she has 
been so badly reared. Is it true, Abbe, that she 
promenades alone with an humble employ^ of 
the Prefecture and that she designs nude figures?” 

Abbd Valland did not hesitate to repel those 
unpalatable suspicions. 

*T assure yoii, madame, that people say more 
than is the truth.” 

"Oh! you, M. Valland, you always defend 
them! You have a weakness for scabby sheep.” 

"Well, madame,” gently responded the Abb6, 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


39 


"is this not truly evangelical charity? Besides, 
Madame Laheyrard is a distant relative of mine. 
Helene is my god-daughter and she sings in the 
choir with great zeal and fervor.” 

“But no one visits them,” continued Madame 
de Travanette with obstinacy. 

“Pardon me; Madame Grandfief, haughty as 
she is, does not hesitate to receive Mile. Lahey- 
rard.” 

“She gives drawing-lessons to her daughter 
Georgette. Besides, Madame Grandfief is a fine 
example! ” 

“Speaking of Madame Grandfief,” interrupted 
M. de Seigneulles, “is she not the wife of the 
Iron-master of Salvanches? Did you say she 
had a daughter?” 

“Yes,” replied Madame de Travanette, “and 
since you are in search of a wife for your son 
Gerard, here is your chance.” 

The Chevalier shrugged his shoulders. 

Madame de Travanette, who was a great match- 
maker, hastened to pronounce a warm eulogy on 
Georgette Grandfief. 

“She is eighteen years old; pretty, well-man- 
nered; two hundred thousand francs for her 
dowry; in a word, she is an excellent match.” 

M. de Seigneulles would have preferred a fam- 


40 


THE MARRUGE OF GERARD 


ily less bourgeoise, but the old lady explained to 
him that at Juvigny the daughters of the nobility 
were very poor and very pretentious, and she 
ended by offering to act as intermediary. 

The Chevelier remained thoughtful. Before 
returning home, he would have liked to see the 
mother and daughter and to judge for him- 
self. 

"Listen," said the Abb6, rising to depart. "I 
am going to propose something not altogether 
canonical, but heaven will pardon me on account 
of the purity of my motives. To-morrow after- 
noon, Madame Grandfief and her daughter will 
come to the parsonage to assist in preparing chap 
lets for the festival of the Assumption. Make 
us a visit at four o’clock and bring Gerard with 
you. You will see the ladies, and the young 
man will have a chance to form an opinion." 

M. de Seigneulles assented; the Abb4 took his 
leave and the game of backgammon began. 

That evening at supper, the Chevalier received 
his son with an air of good humor and did not 
breathe a word of the events of the afternoon. 
But before going to bed he said to Gerard: 

"To-morrow you must not go away, for I wis\ 
you to accompany me on a visit to Abbd Valland. 
And," added he, "you will do me the — the pleas- 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


41 


ure of purchasing a pair of light gloves, 
had enough of your black ones.” 

This was the only allusion he 
the Willows^ ball. 


I have 


ever made to 


Ill 

The parsonage garden was a strange one. It 
was situated on the site of an ancient moat of 
the upper town, and was greatly neglected by the 
Abb6 Valland who knew nothing of gardening. 
It presented to the eye various styles of cultiva- 
tion and was a brilliant patchwork of color. Yet 
in this confusion one might discover the perfect 
symbol of the spirit of Christian equality that a 
good pastor is bound to maintain in his flock. Let- 
tuces flourished fraternally by the side of roses of 
a hundred varieties, lilies alternated with goose- 
berries; great clumps of angelica, tufts of fennel, 
and the bushy box-tree, mingled their aromatic 
odors with the perfume of the clematis. Along 
the lower terrace, was an avenue of ancient elm 
trees in the center of which opened a rotunda fur- 
nished with stone tables and rustic seats. There 
was assembled a group of young girls making 
paper flowers under the direction of the deacon- 
42 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


43 


ess of the parish, and a young curate who was 
as lively and as fresh as a lamb. When M. de 
Seigneulles and Gerard entered the corridor, there 
was a murmur of feminine voices which resounded 
from the hedge of elm trees like the buzzing of 
bees. 

The servant ushered them into the parlor where 
they found the Abbd Valland conversing with 
Madame Grandfief. She was very tall, with a 
flat waist and big bones; her manners were im- 
posing; her words were emphatic and imperious. 
Her square face framed with scanty chestnut 
locks, vaguely recalled to mind the t 5 ’^pe of the 
equine race. 

The Abb6 introduced the visitors, and M. de 
Seigneulles began a stiff conversation about com- 
mon-place matters. This ceremonious interview 
was very tiresome to Gerard and he was endeav- 
oring to smother his yawns, when the Cur6 pro- 
posed to him to descend into the garden. The 
young man accepted cheerfully, and as soon 
as they were out of doors he abandoned the Abbd 
and his guests who were walking around in a kind 
of procession, and directed his footsteps toward 
the elm trees to which he was attracted by merry 
voices. When he had gained one of the openings, 
he paused a moment at the entrance of that green. 


44 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


shadowy avenue where he watched, as in a pan- 
orama, the group of lovely girls in their soft, 
bright draperies, among which the cassock of the 
curate was the only dark spot. 

Near the center of the group was a young girl 
with very fair complexion and heavy blonde hair 
that hung loosely on her shoulders. 

In her hand she held a plate of red gooseber- 
ries which she plucked off and ate as daintil}^ as 
a bird. 

"You are fond of gooseberries. Mile. Lahey- 
rard,” the curate was saying at that moment, witli 
a strong provincial accent. 

"Yes, and I also love to pick them; and 3^011, 
monsieur? ” 

"I only care for those that are already picked,” 
he said with a covetous air. 

“Do you wish some of mine?” said she. 

He made a sign of assent and in the twinkling 
of an eye the lively girl, without noticing the 
horrified expressions on the faces of those around 
her, seized with the tips of her fingers a long, 
very luscious bunch, and held it close to the lips 
of the curate. 

His face turned crimson. He looked with per- 
plexed embarrassment at the tempting berries, 
trembling in her pretty fingers, and at the same 













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THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


45 


time he caught a glimpse of a round white arm 
which the flowing sleeve left bare. 

He stammered out some confused syllables, and 
beat a hasty retreat to . the other end of the 
avenue of elm trees, wherefrom the Abb6, M. de 
Seigneulles and Madame Grandfief were watching 
the scene. 

“How thoughtless! ’’ murmured Madame Grand- 
fief in the ear of the Abb^, who only shrugged 
his shoulders. 

The young girl continued to hold the berries 
between her fingers. 

“I will eat them myself, then," she exclaimed 
with a rippling laugh as she shook them into her 
rosy mouth. 

Gerard had drawn near and observing him, she 
started with surprise as she encountered his look 
of amazement. 

“Georgette," said Madame Grandfief in a tone 
of severity, addressing herself to one of the young 
girls busily engaged making paper flowers, “put 
on your hat; it is time for us to go home." 

The young girl, a brunette with cheeks the 
color of a ripe peach, great black eyes, and a 
very plump figure, withdrew from the group and 
joined her mother. 

“This is my daughter, said Madame Grand- 


46 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


fief to M. de Seigneulles Georgette made a 
ceremonious bow. 

"She is charming!" murmured the Chevalier 
gallantly. 

The Abbd Valland, endeavoring to give a re- 
proving air to his unctuous physiognomy, had 
taken the blonde offender aside to the gooseberry 
bushes. 

"Helene," he said, "I beg of you to show more 
respect for my curate in the future." 

"But, Monsieur," replied the young girl, "I 
do respect and even admire him. If you could 
only have seen with what an air of a fierce sheep 
he resisted temptation! He reminded me of St. 
Anthony with his puppets." 

"Terrible child!" growled the Curd, shaking 
his head. 

When M. de Seigneulles and Gerard had left 
tne parsonage and were walking homeward, the 
Chevalier asked of his son how he was pleased 
with the young girl. 

"She is extremely attractive," replied Gerard 
dreamily. "What a sweet voice and what mag- 
nificent blonde hair! " 

"Blonde!" repeated his father, stopping 
brusquely, "are you near-sighted? It certainly 
seems to me that she is a brunette." 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 47 

“Blonde, father; with long curls hanging 
loosely upon her shoulders.” 

M. de Seigneulles frowned. "Sangrebleu !” he 
cried; “to whom do you refer? Surely not to 
that airy creature with flowing hair. I was speak- 
ing of Mile. Grandfief.” 

“Ah! I hardly noticed her.” 

“Ah well! When you have the honor of meet- 
ing her again, have the goodness to observe her 
well. I have been looking at her closely and it 
would not displease me to have her for a daugh- 
ter-in-law. ” 

While Gerard and his father were thus con- 
versing, the young girl to whom the Chevalier 
had alluded to as "that airy creature” had left the 
parsonage also and was tripping lightly homeward. 

"What prudes these provincials are!” she was 
saying to herself as she walked along. “And how 
strange it was in papa to come to Juvigny!” 
And she sighed deeply as she thought of the 
many things that had happened to embitter their 
lives since their arrival there. 

Her father, formerly a professor of physics at the 
Saint-Louis Lyceum had made a virtue of neces- 
sity in leaving Paris when it began to be difficult 
for him to get along with a large family, even in 
the most modest apartments. 


48 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


“And to think of growing old at Juvigny; of 
becoming perhaps an old maid, as ugly and dried 
up as the deaconess of the parish. Oh! no, 
never!" At that moment Gerard looked back; he 
was walking a little behind his father, and rec- 
ognizing Mile. Laheyrard, bowed to her before 
he entered the house. 

“Ah!" thought the young girl, quickly forget- 
ting her gloomy thoughts, “our neighbor is deci- 
dedly good-looking. He is really a handsome 
fellow and has not that conceited air of the 
other young men of the town. My conduct to 
the curate — ” And she began to laugh as she 
recalled the scared looks of the hero of the bunch 
of gooseberries. 

The screams of a child greeted her as she 
entered the old house occupied by the Inspector' 
of the Academy. 

“Well, Tonton, is the house on fire?" she de- 
manded of a young girl about nine 3^ears of age 
who met her with disheveled locks and a dress 
so short that it exposed to view a notable por- 
tion of a pair of thin, dirty legs. 

“Helene," cried the child, “Benjamin has torn 
his pantaloons and mamma says you must mend 
them instantly." 

“Delightful task!" she murmured; “why could 
yo.i not get along without me?" 


iHh MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


49 


"Mamma says you carried away the black 
thread. ” 

"That is true," she said with a sneer, and div- 
ing into her pocket she drew forth a book, a key, 
some green plums, and finally, a little bag con- 
taining thread and needles. 

Tonton dragged her into a large room, very sim- 
ply furnished, which served as a sitting-room and 
dining-room. There, Benjamin, a lad of eleven, 
rather wild-looking, was perched on the top of a 
cupboard, whistling, and waiting for his panta- 
loons to be mended. Helene put on her thimble^ 
seized the trousers and began to mend the yawn- 
ing rent; while Tonton, abusing the situation of 
the unfortunate Benjamin, pinched his legs, pro- 
voking peals of shrill laughter. 

"Bravo!" cried Marius, whose ruddy face 
appeared in the doorway, blossoming like a 
dahlia. "Touching family tableau! La Vierge 
au Pantalon! admirable subject for a poet of the 
school of common sense. Ah! it is six o’clock, 
and dinner is not ready yet!" 

"Do not be impatient," said Madame Lahey- 
rard, who at that moment appeared at the kitchen 
door; "we are about to lay the cover." 

Helene took the plates from the cupboard and 
placed them on the table which was covered 

The Marriage of Gerard 4 


50 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


with a plain oil-cloth. The boy Benjamin, having 
been put into possession of his indispensable 
garment, was sent in search of his father. Soon 
the whole family was assembled in the dining- 
room. 

The repast showed clearly the absence of a 
cook, and this improvised meal was served in 
the same manner in which it had been prepared, 
without taste and without art. 

'T am worn out!" groaned Madame Laheyrard, 
as she placed her plump elbows upon the table. 
She was approaching fifty, but she had pos- 
sessed in her youth a beauti du diable that had 
left her a thick mane of blonde hair, bright eyes, 
and superb shoulders. 

She was always lively and busy, but that 
noisy activity profited little to the good of the 
household. She threw away her time arguing 
with the tradesmen, wrangling with the servants, 
lamenting the dearth of provisions and the poor 
resources of a small town. 

That evening, at dinner, her complaints were 
more verbose and bitter than usual; she had dis- 
missed her cook and the dinner had suffered in 
consequence. 

"Frightful country! " she exclaimed, flashing 
angry glances toward her husband. "You have 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


51 


indeed treated us badly in bringing us into this 
miserable borough!” 

'But my dear love,” replied M. Laheyrard, 
tossing back the long gray hair that fell over his 
collar, "just reflect^ it was you who suggested 
Juvigny to the administration.” 

The Inspector of the Academy spoke quietly; 
in his deliberate and slightly sententious tones, 
one could detect the old professor enthroned for 
many years in a University chair. Those meas- 
ured words had the effect of exasperating them 
all, particularly Madame Laheyrard. 

"Oh yes! it was I!” she replied bitterly. “You 
have told me that fifty times. I was in error and 
am doing bitter penance for it. The country is 
hardly habitable; the town is nasty, and as for 
the inhabitants, don^t speak of them! They are 
stuck-up and ill-bred; we have not had a dozen 
visitors. That is also your fault, M. Lahey- 
rard. ” 

*'My fault!” repeated the old professor; "can I 
force people to come to my house?” 

“You have not asserted yourself at Juvigny; 
now, they give dinners everywhere; have you 
only made the slightest advances so as to have 
them invite your wife and daughter?' 

“I go on the principle of never imposing on 


52 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


anybody,” responded the worthy old man; "it is 
more honorable.” 

"It is more selfish! Say rather that you prefer 
to bury yourself in your books!” 

M. Laheyrard looked up and glanced a moment 
at his wife with his intelligent but weary eyes. 

"Melanie,” he. said gently, "you go too far. If 
you are neglected at Juvigny, you should remem- 
ber that it is perhaps more your fault than 
mine.” 

Madame Laheyrard bit her lips. That slight 
allusion to the history of her indiscreet youth 
threw a cold shower on her nervous excitement. 

Marius arose with an air of impatience, and 
after filling his pipe went to finish the evening 
out of doors. The Inspector, to escape further 
lamentations, took refuge in the garden. Helene 
hastened to clear away the table, and then ran to 
join her father under the trees. 


IV 

Helene was the only member of the family who 
loved and appreciated M. Laheyrard. She saw 
him tormented by the exacting demands of her 
mother, turned into ridicule by Marius, and sel- 
dom obeyed by the children, in whom there had 
never been inculcated the principles of reverence 
and submission. While she felt herself superior 
in heart and soul to the rest of the family, she 
forced herself to help him forget all his little 
domestic miseries by showing him many affec- 
tionate attentions. She interested herself in his 
work, and he, in his turn, encouraged her in the 
study of drawing and painting. When he was 
weary of his books she diverted him with her 
lively talk. For M. Laheyrard, amid the noise 
and bustle of his administrative labors, the 
cheery chatting of Helene was like the song of 
a robin-redbreast on a winter day. 

That evening, he walked for a long time with 
53 


54 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


folded arms down the grassy garden walk, then, 
after kissing his daughter on the brow, he re- 
turned to his study, while Helene went in search 
of the children to put them to bed. 

When she came downstairs, leaving the two 
little monkeys snugly tucked in, Madame Lahey- 
rard, who was always gadding about, had already 
gone to make a tour of the town. Helene retired 
into a large room which opened upon the garden 
and which she used for a studio. The walls 
were hung with pictures; near the piano cov- 
ered with music, in one corner of the room, stood 
a wooden easel; on a table a bunch of field 
flowers blossomed in a crockery pot. The first 
thing that met the eyes of the young girl was the 
imprint of the five little fingers of Tonton 
upon the canvas on which a picture was freshly 
sketched. Helene stamped her foot with rage. 

"Little wretch!” she cried, and seized with a 
violent fit of ill-humor she went to sit on the stone 
steps that led into the garden. There, with her 
elbows on her knees and her fingers thrust into 
her hair, she fixed her melancholy gaze upon 
the gorge of Palval illuminated by the last rays 
of the setting sun. 

Juvigny weighed upon her spirits. Born in 
Paris, a Parisian to the rosy tips of her fingers, 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


55 


she could not accustom herself to that dead 
calm, those straight horizons, and the sordid in- 
terests of a small town. This provincial life had 
the effect of a visit too long prolonged to tire- 
some people, in a house that is gloomy and misty. 
Afar off in the suburbs, a squeaking organ played 
a tune which she remembered hearing on the 
Boulevard. All her impressions of Parisian life 
awakened in her memory. She recalled her bal- 
cony in the fourth story of a house in the Rue 
D^Assas, which overlooked a tennis-court in the 
Luxembourg, where the players assembled in their 
white and red coats, and orange hose; and where, 
upon the level terrace, the students and bour- 
geois of that quarter promenaded at twilight. In 
her imagination she revisited the museum where 
she was once installed with her easel and her 
square of canvas to copy the Lab our age Niver- 
nais. She was homesick for all these things. 
She would have given two years of her life 
to hear again the clamor of the watchmen crying 
under the lofty ceilings — 

"'On va fertner! On va fermerV 
Overcome with a sudden revolt and irritation, 
she cried out in anger throwing up her arms: 
“Oh, I am so weary, so weary!” 

“Perhaps I may prove a slight diversion,” said 
a satirical voice behind her. 


5b 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


She turned her head wearily. “Ah! it is you, 
M. Finoel; good evening.” 

“I have been talking business with M. Lahey- 
rard, and he told me you were here, so I took the 
liberty of entering. Are you ill?" '^ 

“No, I am nervous; that is all. You are wel- 
come. ’’ 

In the twilight shadows, one could but vaguely 
distinguish the ill-shaped figure and sallow face 
of the visitor. His large jaundiced eyes, hollow 
cheeks, and compressed lips, had an expression 
at once suffering and spirituelle, indicating a 
disordered organization. Francelin Finoel was in 
fact affected with a curvature of the spine, and 
out of pity for this deformity he was admitted 
into the intimacy of the Laheyrard family. His 
office as assistant chief-clerk of the Prefecture had 
brought him in contact with the Inspector of the 
Academy, and as he was obliging, an agreeable 
talker, and a good musician, Madame Laheyrard, 
who was scarcely noticed in Juvigny society, had 
received cordially this poor sickly visitor, regard- 
ing him, however, as of not much consequence. 

“How are you to day?” said Helene, as she 
offered him her hand which he pressed eagerly 
in his long emaciated fingers. There was some- 
thing tender and friendly in the accents of the 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


57 


young girl. Her native goodness of heart made 
her kind to this deformed and unfortunate 
human being. This compassionate familiarity 
surprised many people, and those who thought 
ill of the young girl were disposed to confound 
that sympathetic pity with a more lively senti- 
ment. To see the eyes of Francelin Finoel sud- 
denly light up as they rested upon her face, one 
would have said that the hunchback himself had 
mistaken the nature of the cordial demonstra- 
tions of Mile. Laheyrard. 

‘T always feel well when I am here," he re- 
sponded in a caressing voice; "even the touch 
of your hand cures me." 

She laughed and began to light the candles 
on the piano. 

"If you wish me to be entirely amiable,” she 
said, "you will permit me to return to my seat 
on the steps; the fresh evening air will quiet my 
nerves.” And she resumed unceremoniously the 
position in which he had found her, her face rest- 
ing on her hands, her eyes fixed on space. Seat- 
ed on the piano stool, Finoel devoured her with 
his eyes while she remained silent, absorbed in 
her reverie, 

"Does my want of ceremony offend you?" she 
asked, after awhile; "for you see I have already 


58 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


been an object of scandal to-day at the parsonage, 
and I do not wish to be again at fault. By the 
way, at the house of Abbd Valland there was 
a neighbor of ours, M. de Seigneulles; do you 
know him?" 

"Slightly, but not enough to like him." 

"Why? He has a fine expressive face, a 
haughty manner, a brown mustache, and for all 
that he blushes like a school girl. That timidity 
is as becoming to his grave face as are flowers 
to great trees." 

"Gerard de Seigneulles," replied Finoel disdain- 
fully, "is one of those handsome boys who come 
into the world to hold out their hands and receive 
everything as a gift; full of egotism, narrow- 
minded; a brilliant, luxuriant plant, but use- 
less. * 

"I love those flowers that are beautiful and use- 
less," interrupted Helene in emphatic tones. "I 
love everything that is bright and glittering." 

The evening was warm and the fire-flies came 
from the garden to flutter about the candles. 

"So do they," replied the little hunchback iron- 
ically, pointing to the imprudent insects as they 
were scorched by the flame. 

"You are sarcastic this evening, M. Finoel," 
said Helene rising and seating herself at the 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


59 


piano. "Sing me a song; that will dissipate 
your gloomy thoughts." 

She struck a few chords and indicated with 
her finger the score of Don Juan opened at the 
serenade. Francelin obeyed her and began to 
sing. He had a marvelous voice, clear and vi- 
brating; the sounds escaping from his lips 
seemed too ideal to be human; it was more as if 
a spirit sang. 

While accompanying him on the piano, Helene 
drank in the charm of that sweet, strange voice. 
When the song was ended she turned and en- 
countered the gaze of the hunchback fixed upon 
her, and she was suddenly overcome with intense 
embarrassment. 

"What beautiful hair you have!" he murmured 
softly. 

"Do you think so?" she said, passing her fin- 
gers through her flowing ringlets with a gesture 
of native coquetry. "Bah! what good are they? 
Some of these days they will have to be twisted 
up in a frightful coil, when I go to teach in 
some gloomy pension." 

"What an absurd idea! " said Finoel shrugging 
his shoulders. 

"I am in earnest, we are poor: I am a girl 
witout a dowry, and it will be necessar}’’ for me 


60 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


to earn my bread. A governess, or under-teacher; 
that will be my lot; it will be much better than 
to die of ennui at Juvigny a faded old maid.” 

"You are not one to be left to fade,” he re- 
plied with animation. "Have you then no ambi- 
tion? Beautiful and richly endowed by nature 
as you are, do you never dream of a domestic 
life, of children, of a proud husband who will 
make you the queen of his little home?” 

She shook her head. 

"No; some gentleman farmer perhaps — If I 
were homely and deformed— ” 

She had hardly spoken the last word when she 
observed an expression of bitterness on the lips 
of Finoel and she discovered that she was about 
to make a cruel, thoughtless speech. In a moment 
her clear brown eyes filled with tears. Vexed 
at her blunder, grieved at having wounded the 
young man, Helene held out her hand to him. 

"I wished to say,” she continued confusedly, 
"that I am unfitted for a wife." 

"I understand,” he said sadly, holding her hand 
within his own with a passionate insistence. 
"Do. you believe that I am your friend? Well 
promise me to take no serious step without first 
cmisulting me. Swear it to me!” 

She looked at him in astonishment. 


THE M/IRRMGE OF GERARD 


61 


"I promise you, ’’ she said, a little frightened; 
"There! are you satisfied?" 

"Thanks," he murmured, releasing her hand. 

Meanwhile Madame Laheyrard returned from 
visiting in the lower town, and entered the stu- 
dio. It was ten o^clock; Finoel took his leave. 

The house which the hunchback occupied was a 
poor one, situated a short distance from the old 
college building. The ground floor and basement 
were inhabited by a weaver and his family, 
and the rooms on the second floor were rented 
furnished. Francelin ascended to his modest 
chamber which was full of dusty old manuscripts 
and documents of every description. Not feeling 
disposed to sleep, he leaned out of the window 
that opened on the college gardens. 

Francelin Finoel was an illegitimate child; his 
mother a washer-woman who had worked out by 
the day had been dead nearly ten years. He had 
been a charity pupil in that same college whose 
trees overshadowed his window’. He had made the 
most of his advantages and by force of will had 
suceeded in breaking away from the miserable 
surroundings wherein he had spent his child- 
hood. Step by step he had climbed up the social 
ladder at Juvigny. At the age of twenty-one he 
was appointed assistant-chief of a bureau at the 


62 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


Prefecture, having gained the good-will of the 
Secretary General of the Department. This, 
however, was a small result in the eyes of the con- 
fident, ambitious Finoel. The son of a washer- 
woman was at last admitted on an equal foot- 
ing into the salons of the rich manufacturers and 
the high functionaries at Juvigny. His talent 
for music had already opened for him the doors 
of many houses, but there were others that still 
remained obstinately closed to him. Since the 
arrival of the Laheyrards, his ambition had re- 
ceived a violent spur. Dazzled by the beauty 
of Helene, intoxicated by her graceful familiar- 
ity and winning manners, he lived in a mirage, 
and dreamed of his becoming the husband of 
Mile. Laheyrard. 

"Why not?" he said to himself that even- 
ing, as he listened to the tic-tac of the weaver’s 
loom. "Helene is poor and will not find it easy 
to marry; with my brains and energy I am supe- 
rior to the other young men here. With her for 
a wife, 1 feel that I would be able to make a stk 
in the little world of Juvigny, and to climb over 
all these people to attain my end. I may be able 
to get appointed to the Municipal Council, and 
to supplant the Mayor, who is a nonentity. Who 
knows? In this time of universal suffrage I may 
be sent to parliament! " 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


63 


A cool breeze rustled through the branches of 
the trees and recalled him to the reality of 
things. At that moment, the voice of a young girl 
was wafted to his ears, and by the light of the 
moon he distinguished the coquettish face and 
form of little Reine, looking out between the 
pots of balsam in an adjoining window. 

"So you have returned?” said the seamstress. 

Reine was the niece of the weaver who lived 
on the ground floor; in her childhood she had 
played with Finoel; and the two kept on terms 
of intimacy for many years. She also for three 
or four years, had cherished ambitious hopes; it 
was to become a married woman. She wished to 
marry Francelin, and in her turn she said to her- 
self: "Why not?” 

As the young man remained silent, she repeat- 
ed her question. 

"Yes,” replied Finoel dryly, impatient at being 
disturbed, "I have just come in and I am going 
to bed.” 

"You have become very stuck-up since you be- 
gan visiting the beautiful ladies of the upper 
town! Those Parisians have turned your head, my 
poor Francelin.” 

You will oblige me by leaving these ladies in 
peace,” said Finoel angrily. "Good night." 


64 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


“My patience! ” murmured Reine, who wished 
to have the last word. “But those who seek for 
wool return shorn, and you will be clipped, my 
beautiful bleating lamb! ’’ 

Finoel closed the window noisily and went to 
bed, furious. 


V 

Satisfied with his first interview with Madame 
Grandfief, M. de Seigneulles boldly decided to 
mention the important question of marriage. At 
his request the Abbd Valland and Madame de 
Travanette had sounded the Grandfief household, 
and their advances having bedin received favora- 
bly, the Chevalier had instructed his notary to 
confer with them in regard to settlements. 

Like a prudent man, the Chevalier deemed it 
best not to mix money matters with affairs of the 
heart. But as soon as the basis of these docu- 
ments had been agreed upon, he put himself 
directly in communication with Madame Grand- 
fief and her husband; and they decided that 
Gerard should be permitted to pay his court to 
the young lady. 

The old gentleman desired that his son should 
please her as an amiable gentleman, before being 
regarded as a future husband. 

The Marriage of Gerard s 65 


66 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


The subject of marriage was not to be broached 
until the two young people had become attached 
to each other of their own free will, and Mad- 
ame Grandfief sure of the obedience of her daugh- 
ter, and convinced of the irresistible fascination 
of her beauty, accepted the conditions, although 
they seemed to her ridiculously romantic. 

Twice a week, Gerard spent the afternoon at 
Salvanches, which was situated beyond the 
avenue of Willows, in a great park through 
which flowed the noisy Ornain. 

Occasionally, the young man was accompanied 
by his father; sometimes chaperoned by Madame 
de Travanette or the Abbd Valland. These cer- 
emonious interviews passed away in a very gloomy 
fashion. Carrying out strictly the programme im- 
posed by her mother. Georgette, sitting upright 
in her chair, nose in the air and eyes downcast, 
preserved a modest silence. 

If Gerard addressed a word to her, she would 
raise slightly her eyelids, fringed with dark lashes, 
and look first at Madame Grandfief, as if seek- 
ing the proper response in the maternal eyes. 
When she at last decided to speak, she seemed 
to be reciting a lesson. She was beautiful, and 
yet her great black eyes were more brilliant than 
profound; her retroussd nose, her rosy cheeks 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


67 


and her niignonne mouth gave to her a certain 
piquant, sensual grace; but she was narrow- 
minded and little cultivated, and her simplicity 
had become proverbial. Her conversation was 
full of details about gowns and bonnets which 
did not in the least interest Gerard. He was by 
nature reserved, and would only expand under 
the influence of sympathy; so he remained cold 
and taciturn, leaving the burden of the conver- 
sation to the Abb^ or to Madame de Travanette; 
these regular visits to Salvanches were regarded 
by him as a disagreeable duty, and he never 
failed to return home very sleepy, tired and mel- 
ancholy. 

One August afternoon, after one of these sit- 
tings, he came back particularly morose. Hav- 
ing climbed though the vineyard he walked along 
the path that lay between his father’s posses- 
sions and that of his neighbor, M. Laheyrard. 
He was soon startled by joyous cries and a burst 
of merry laughter. Raising his head, he per- 
ceived two children dragging between them a 
ladder, but as Gerard approached, they suddenly 
disappeared behind the wall of the terrace. 

“Tonton! Benjamin!" cried an aerial, silvery 
voice. "Bring back the ladder, instantly!" 

Triumphant peals of laughter was the only 
answer to this command. 


68 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


“Mischievous wretches!" continued the mys- 
terious voice. 

In the neighboring orchard, the branches of a 
vigorous plum-tree became suddenly agitated, 
and, looking up, Gerard discovered Mile. Helene 
Laheyrard seated among the branches, holding in 
one hand a large slice of bread, and with the 
other gathering green gage plums. She was 
charming; bare headed, her hair floating in the 
breeze; a rose tint upon her cheeks and her great 
dark eyes sparkling with animation. 

The sunbeams struggling through the foliage 
of the tree fell alternately on her face and throat 
in rapid touches of light and shade; a slight 
breeze moving the hem of her dress revealed two 
tiny boots and a pair of shapely ankles. When 
she saw Gerard, Helene, with a lovely gesture, 
at once modest and coquettish, caught the flut- 
tering folds of her linen skirt beneath one little 
foot, and her glances meeting those of the young 
man, she could not refrain from smiling. 

“Mademoiselle," said Gerard, lifting his hat, 
"permit me to go in search of the ladder." 

“Do not take that trouble. Monsieur," she 
replied, “the children will themselves return it 
when they find that their pranks have not dis- 
turbed me in the least." 



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I 



THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


Gerard thought her marvelously beautiful in 
that frame of green foliage. Such a radiant 
manifestation of feminine loveliness had the 
effect of conquering his reserve and timidity. 

"Permit me to remain awhile," he pleaded, "to 
keep you company until Tonton has brought back 
the ladder?’’ 

He trembled lest his request should not be well 
received, but Helene looked as if she thought it 
quite natural. 

"Willingly,” she said; "besides, as we are 
neighbors, I wish to redeem myself in your eyes. 
This is not the first time I have shocked you; 
you remember the bunch of gooseberries?" 

Gerard opened his mouth to protest, but she 
interrupted him merrily. 

"You must not judge me altogether by such 
giddy behavior, for if my brother Marius were 
here, he would tell you that I am a serious girl, 
only a little obstinate.” 

At this last word, Gerard opened his eyes very 
wide. 

"But I am talking like a simpleton,” she said 
laughing. "Ah me! I am not prudent and well 
trained like Georgette Grandfief! You know her, 
I believe — If her mother should surprise her 
perched, as I am, in a plum-tree, what a sermon! 
I can hear her say: 'Fi done! mademoiselle 


fO 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


She rolled her fine eyes, pinched up her lips, 
and mimicked the sententious tones of Madame 
Grandfief in so droll a manner, that Gerard could 
not refrain from laughing. 

"You have a charming talent for acting,” he 
said. 

"I possess a number of charming talents that 
make me pass for a girl very badly reared. I 
often try to imprison my wayward impulses, but 
I forget to shut the door and prrrou ! — the wanton 
birds are off! I shock people at first, but after 
awhile they find me delightful, I assure you." 

"I do not doubt it," cried Gerard, who meant 
what he said. Leaning on the orchard wall, he 
threw toward Helene glances full of admiration. 
Every now and then she thrust her hands through 
the foliage in quest of the rosy plums already 
bursting with ripeness, revealing the juicy golden 
pulp. She pressed them daintily between her 
pretty lips, and bit off her slice of bread uncere- 
moniously. The sunlight gleamed on the enamel 
of her pearl-like teeth, and on her white arms 
in their flowing open sleeves. Gerard was daz- 
zled; he felt transformed, and discovered himself 
possessed with a boldness he never dreamed of. 

Moved by this emotion, which flew to his head 
like strong new wine, he was tempted to say to 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


71 


the young girl : "You are too adorably beauti f ul ! ’’ 

His eyes spoke his admiration, and the words 
trembled on his lips, but he dared not utter, them. 

At last his tongue was loosened. 

"Yes," said he, "I am sure that you are as 
good as you are beautiful; good, like everything 
that is fresh and spontaneous — the flowers and 
the sun! " 

"A truce to your compliments*” cried Helene 
in a decided voice. "In the first place, your 
comparison is not apropos. The sun is not always 
good, for this afternoon it is in a fair way of 
burning my neck so that I will not dare to show 
it next week at the Grandfief’s ball; for you 
know there is to be a ball at Salvanches. You 
love to dance I believe, " she added with a glance 
of roguish malice. 

At this allusion to the adventure of the Wil- 
lows’ ball, Gerard blushed and stammered. 

"As for myself,” continued Helene, "I would 
go five leagues on foot through the rain, to dance 
one quadrille. So, as I have a horror of being a 
wall flower, I am endeavoring to show you, this 
afternoon, the most attractive side of my temper, 
that you may not be ashamed to invite me to 
dance next Thursday. ” 

She was interrupted by a ringing voice: 


72 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"Do not be impatient, Helene; I am bringing 
the ladder of deliverance!" 

And Marius Laheyrard emerged from a clump 
of hazel-nut trees, dragging the ladder which the 
children had stolen away. 

"By Zeus!" he cried, on perceiving Gerard, 
"my dancer with the black gloves! You are then 
acquainted with M. de Seigneulles, madcap?" 

Gerard explained how they chanced to meet, 
while Helene, placing her feet on the first round 
of the ladder, gathered up her skirts and leaped 
to the ground. Gerard bowed to them and was 
about to take his leave, when Marius grasped 
him by the arm. 

"No," he cried impetuously, "you have never 
put your foot into our domain and now we in- 
tend to keep you. To-day we have a passable 
roast, and you must dine with us." 

Gerard wished to refuse, but Helene reiterated 
gayly her brother’s invitation ; he could not resist 
the temptation, and allowed himself to be led 
into the house of the Inspector. 

Madame Laheyrard was very proud of her son's 
new friend, and the old professor gave to his 
young neighbor a welcome at once grave and 
friendly; so he very soon felt entirely at ease. 
The dinner was presentable this time, the 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 7B 

children well-behaved, the linen faultlessly 
white, and the roast done to a turn. Rendered 
especially merry by the good cheer and the pres- 
ence of a stranger, Marius seized this occasion 
to expound his most eccentric theories. Helene 
applauded him gayly, whilst now and then, when 
the jests of the poet overshot their mark, the 
silent M. Laheyrard shrugged his shoulders and 
reproached him in mild accents. 

In this atmosphere of good humor, having be- 
fore his eyes the radiant smile and spirited 
glances of Helene, Gerard’s reserve melted rap- 
idly away, like a shriveled leaf of tea that, un- 
der the influence of the warm water, expands, 
relaxes, and, resuming its natural shape, gives 
out all its perfume. 

When the coffee was served, he felt himself 
already a new man. He became talkative and 
told them of his lonely childhood in the old 
house in the upper town; of his youth spent in 
the college of the Jesuits at Metz; of his studies 
at Nancy with the ancient dowager for a chaper- 
on. 

Helene was greatly amused. 

“That father of yours is very stern,” she said, 
“and I, no doubt, shocked him greatly the other 
day at the parsonage. How different is our 


74 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


father to us! He is never harsh,” and she turned 
to caress M. Laheyrard. 

“Yes,” murmured the old professor, “they lead 
me by the nose.” 

“So much so,” continued the lively young girl, 
taking the nose of her father between her slender 
fingers, “so much so, that his nose is actually 
elongated; but we dearly love our father,” and 
she gently rubbed her satin cheek against the 
long beard of the old man. In a sudden outburst 
of affection, she embraced her father, while Ge- 
rard looked with admiration at the lovely tableau; 
the old man with his rather unkempt gray locks 
and the beautiul blonde girl with her arm about 
his neck. 

At last M. Laheyrard disengaged himself and 
went to his library to work. Madame Laheyrard 
had gone to put the children to bed; Marius 
smoked in the garden; Helene and Gerard were 
left alone near the steps, at the foot of a great 
mulberry tree. The shadows of twilight were 
beginning to fall; the crickets chirped and the 
moths of the vineyard buzzed above the blooming 
phlox. Helene approached a cluster of lilacs and 
imprisoned in her hands one of the insects that 
flitted among the blossoms, then coming close to 
Gerard, she opened her fingers a little that he 
might see it. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


75 


"Is it not beautiful?" she said, "with its 
pointed head, its ^reat eyes shining like black 
diamonds, and its wings of a delicate rosy 
gray? ” 

To see it better, Gerard took the fingers of 
Helene between his own and held them on a level 
with his lips. Mile. Laheyrard felt upon her 
hands the warm breath of the young man. 

"How exquisitely the wings are shaped!" he 
murmured. 

"I wish that I had a dress of that rose color," 
cried Helene. "I will imprison it under a glass 
so that I may paint it to-morrow." 

"No," replied Gerard, "be generous. It was 
immured so long in the dark prison of a chrys- 
alis. " 

"Like you!” said Helene, thoughtlessly. 

"Yes, like me," he replied gayly, "and this is 
perhaps first night of feasting; let him go 
free. " 

"Well spoken," said Helene; "go then, Bohe- 
mian; regain thy liberty and spend it joyously!" 

She opened her hands, and the moth flew away. 
Gerard remained pensive; perhaps he was think- 
ing that the analogy between himself and the 
butterfly ended there; while the insect took its 
flight toward the dewy phlox, his heart still re- 


76 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


mained a hostage in the little hands of Helene 
Laheyrard. 

That night, when he re-entered his father^ s 
house, he felt that his whole being had undergone 
a transformation that had come and brightened 
the gloom he had lived in hitherto, like the dif- 
fused light that is shed above the forest when 
the moon rises. 


VI 

After that first evening, Gerard returned many 
times to the home of Marius. Aided by a subtle 
capitulation with his conscience, he regarded 
these visits, concealed from his father, as a com- 
pensation for the ennui he suffered at Salvanches. 
He did not consider his engagement with Geor- 
gette serious; he went to the Grandfief mansion 
in obedience to the commands of M. de Seign- 
eulles, and after having performed that fastid- 
ious duty he rewarded himself by a flight to the 
home of the Laheyrards, where they welcomed 
him with that easy familiarity so natural to 
Parisians, accustomed to forming new ties quick- 
ly. Madam Laheyrard scolded him for not coming 
oftener, and Helene treated him like an old 
friend. 

She felt strangely drawn to this young man, 
so timid and yet so enthusiastic, with such a 
cultivated mind, utterly free from affectation, 
77 


78 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


and to whom a provincial education gave the 
charm and freshness of a wild fruit. Little by 
little, she gained his confidence; she showed 
him her drawings, played on the piano and sang 
for him; and talked to him of Paris, which he 
had never seen. 

The conversation of Helene, both clever and 
thoughtless; sometimes serious and then again 
bantering; bristling with strange words borrowed 
from the cant of studios, revealed to Gerard 
unknown and seductive horizons. Near her, he 
felt as ignorant as a carp; still, when he was 
with her he was more self-possessed and more 
eloquent than anywhere else. 

The young girl inspired him with dm aplomb diVid 
confidence of which he never believed himself 
capable. Between them, however, there had 
never passed a single word of love — not even a 
token of that gallantry which is almost always 
a common interchange in worldly conversations. 
But sometimes there came long, restless silences; 
a sweet thrill at the touch of two hands, while 
turning the leaves of the music; a flower plucked 
and given at the moment of parting. It was 
nothing, but it was delicious. The best of love 
is in these mute beginnings, and Gerard drank in 
with delight this andante of the amorous sym- 
phony. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


79 


One evening, just after Gerard had left 
Helene, Francelin Finoel entered the studio. 

The young girl was seated at the piano playing 
a tune, a favorite melody of Gerard, and there 
was something in the atmosphere that breathed 
of his recent presence, for Finoel began immedi- 
ately to speak of M. de Seigneulles. 

“He has just left me," said Helene. 

“Ah!" murmured Finoel, “he has been here 
then!" and he added maliciously: 

“There is much talk in town of his engage- 
ment to Mile. Grandfief. " 

Helene turned pale. This unexpected news 
caused her a cruel emotion. Although she real- 
ized that she had no claim on the heart of Ge- 
rard, she felt a keen pang and thought it very 
hard on Finoel’ s part to make such disagreeable 
revelations. 

“Ah!” she said with affected indifference, “there 
is nothing astonishing in that. M. Gerard Seign- 
eulles is of age and eligible, and Georgette 
Grandfief is a good parti. Apropos of the Grand- 
fiefs, have you heard that they are soon to give a 
ball?" 

“When?” demanded Finoel anxiously. 

“Next Thursday. The invitations are out; 
my father received one yesterday, and you will 
no doubt find one on your return home." 


80 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


Francelin appeared visibly agitated. He had 
always ardently desired to be invited to the 
house of Madame Grandfief, whose parlors were 
the most exclusive in Juvigny. An invitation 
there was to the ambitious young man equivalent 
to a letter of naturalization into the highest social 
circles of the little town. His agitation became 
so manifest that Helene hastened to reassure 
him. 

"I have often spoken of you to Georgette,’* 
she said; “and as there will be music, you are 
too good a musician to be overlooked." 

Nevertheless, Francelin was only moderately 
tranquil; he was restless, and shortening his 
visit, he descended the steps, almost running 
along the side of the college. With a trembling 
hand he thrust the key into the door, and lighted 
his candle. He then threw a rapid glance 
around the apartment, but he saw nowhere the 
ardently coveted invitation. His heart began to 
beat violently; he continued his search, examin- 
ing closely each piece of furniture. Nothing. 

Then, furious, he was bounding down the steps 
to question the wife of the weaver, when he met 
Reine Lecomte, who held in her hand a folded 
paper. 

He snatched it from her. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


81 


Alas! it was only the town journal! 

Are you sure,” he said, “that they have not 
brought me an invitation to the ball at Salvan- 
ches?" 

"My aunt has received nothing,” replied little 
Reine, with a malicious gleam in her black eyes. 

The lips of Francelin turned pale. 

"It is an oversight,” he murmured, in a stifled 
voice. 

"No, it is not an oversight,” said Reine with 
emphasis, for she had no pity for the misfortune 
of her old friend. 

"How do you know.?*” he muttered, his eyes 
flashing with anger. 

"I know,” replied Reine pitilessly, "because 
I was at Salvanches when Mile. Grandfief pro- 
posed to her mother to invite you; to which 
Madame Grandfief responded coldly: ‘No, no, 

I do not like mixed company.* Is not that 
sufficiently clear?” 

The little hunchback remained silent. A dumb 
rage gnawed at his heart, and tears of anger and 
humiliation gathered in his eyes. Reine, per- 
ceiving his grief, repented instantly of having 
struck such a brutal blow. 

"I have wounded you, my poor Francelin," 
she said gently; "but when I see intelligent peo- 

The Marriage of Gerard 0 


82 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


pie like you making a laughing-stock of them- 
selves, and in danger of breaking their necks in 
foolish attempts, it grates upon my nerves, and 
I cannot resist crying out, ‘bewareM” 

Finoel remained mute and sullen. The little 
seamstress laid her hand affectionately on his 
arm. "You see," she continued, "these rich peo- 
ple sometimes treat us politely, but at heart they 
despise us and think we are made of different 
clay from themselves. I know this but too well, 
for I go to their houses every day, and I have 
keen ears. Remain with your equals, Francelin, 
— at least with those who love you for yourself. 
And as to this ball, if you are curious to know 
what happens there, I will tell you myself, for 
they have bespoken me for the dressing-room. I 
will describe to you the costumes of the ladies, 
and will bring to you the names of those who 
dance with Mile. Laheyrard.” 

Every word that she spoke pierced Francelin’ s 
heart like an arrow; when she pronounced the 
name of Helene, his heart throbbed with anguish, 
and pushing roughly from his shoulder the hand 
of the little seamstress, he cried: 

"Enough! you are tiresome; I am sick and 
wish to be left alone." 

Reine shrugged her shoulders and went out, 
slamming the door behind her. 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


83 


Francelin took his seat near the window. The 
night was splendid; every moment, brilliant me- 
teors shot across the clear, starry skies, and 
glided silently behind the trees in the college 
grounds. 

In the heavens there seemed to be a great 
fete; a mysterious ball of the stars! Francelin 
almost wished in his heart that, by a sudden con- 
vulsion, that myriad of twinkling stars would 
fall in a shower of fire upon this town where he 
was treated as a pariah. 

How diversely the very same outlook will im- 
press this or that human being! 

While the sullen hunchback, contemplating the 
dazzling stars and the flashing of the meteors 
discovered in the magnificent natural display 
nothing but the image of some great, sinister dis- 
turbance, two hundred feet above him, in his little 
chamber on the Rue du Tribel, Gerard de Seign- 
eulles lay awake with his eyes fixed on the brill- 
iant heavens. He could hear in the distance the 
faint sounds of Helene’s piano, and, following 
with a fascinated gaze the flight of the shoot- 
ing stars, he compared them, in his enthusiasm, 
to a shower of golden lilies falling softly upon 
the home of his beloved. 


VII 

The whole of Juvigny had been thrown into a 
flutter of excitement at the announcement of the 
Grandfief soirde, and for eight days it was the 
subject of conversation in both the upper and 
lower towns. 

At Salvanches, the great hall on the first floor, 
where no one had been received for years, would 
be painted and decorated anew, it was said. 
They had ordered the flowers from Paris, also 
the supper which would end the ball. The seam- 
stresses worked till past midnight cutting out the 
corsages and festooning the skirts with flounces 
of tulle. The carriages were all hired in advance; 
Salvanches was a half-league from the town; 
every vehicle in Juvigny was engaged, from the 
simple char-a-banc, suspended on its bare axle 
tree, to the dusty barouche perched high on old- 
fashioned springs and ornamented with huge 
footboards. 


84 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


85 


At last, Thursday arrived. At eight o’clock al- 
ready, the Grandfief family stood under their sculp- 
tured coat of arms at the entrance of the grand 
salon, awaiting their guests; for, at Juvigny, balls 
began at an early hour, the ladies struggling 
to be punctual in order to obtain the best places. 
M. Grandfief, bland, good-natured and peaceable, 
smothered in a white cravat, cramped in shining 
boots, spent the moments of waiting in walking 
about on the tips of his toes, moderating the 
lights in the chandeliers and straightening the 
tapers in the candlesticks. 

His son, Anatole, a college student about fif- 
teen years old, arrayed in a brand-new jacket, 
was making courageous efforts to push his hands 
into a pair of straw-colored gloves, while before 
the mirror. Georgette was practicing how to use 
her fan. Dignified and majestic, in a robe of 
orange velvet which revealed but too much her 
bony shoulders, Madame Grandfief moved about 
with the air of a queen, taking a last look at the 
parlors, billiard-hall, ball-room, and dressing- 
room where little Reine was installed, assisted 
by a femme de chambre. 

During these comings and goings, she addressed 
to her husband and children brief, but solemn 
words of admonition. 


86 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"Georgette,” she said to her daughter, "you 
must not dance more than once with the same 
person. ” 

"No mamma. And with M. de Seigneulles?" 

"Twice only. Between the quadrilles, there 
will be vocal music, and you must accompany the 
singers on the piano." 

"I think I hear a carriage, ” cried Anatole, who 
was on the lookout in the corridor. 

In fact, the rolling of wheels was heard on the 
sands of the garden illuminated with lanterns. 
The whole family hastened to take their posi- 
tions at the entrance of the parlors, and ere long 
the frou-frou of skirts rustled upon the stone 
steps. 

"They are our cousins, the Provencheres, ” whis- 
pered Anatole, who had cautiously peeped into 
the dressing-room. 

They brusquely exchanged their haughty atti- 
tudes for a manner at once disdainful and indif- 
ferent. 

"Pooh!” grumbled M. Grandfief, "it would be 
just like them to arrive before the lamps are 
lighted. ” 

"Georgette,” said Madame Grandfief, "find 
them places yourself so that they may not mo- 
nopolize the best ones. ” 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


87 


The Provencheres ladies were poor relatives 
who were invited from a sense of duty, and who 
were treated with scant consideration. 

The three advanced at the same time in the 
stiff, affected manner of people who are not 
accustomed to going into society. The daugh- 
ters already passies^ wore shabby silk dresses, 
slippers which they had themselves covered with 
satin to hide the worn leather, and white gloves 
that betrayed by their numerous stains the ob- 
stinate work of gum elastic. The mother wore 
a gown of snuff-colored silk and a bonnet adorned 
with artificial grapes. 

"What beautiful display, cousin!" she cried 
out, throwing an envious glance at the brilliant 
chandeliers and the profusion of flowers. "You 
must have expended a hundred francs on the 
stairway alone.’* 

In the meantime other guests began to pour in : 
solemn magistrates with their wives hanging 
upon their arms, attired in watered silk; stout 
manufacturers with ruddy faces and loud voices; 
groups of young girls enveloped in clouds of 
tulle. Then the young men: notary clerks, pro- 
fessors, supernumeraries scrupulously shaven and 
neatly gloved, and here and there in the crowd, 
the sons of the spinning-mill proprietors and 


8 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


iron-masters of that vicinity, easily recognizable 
by their elaborate attire, and by that aplomb 
which invariably denotes men, wealthy and influ- 
ential in the country. 

Gerard de Seigneulles was among the last to 
arrive. He glanced rapidly over the ball-room. 
Helene was not there, and he felt a keen pang 
of disappointment. The orchestra gave the sig- 
nal for a quadrille, and following the instruc- 
tions of his father, the young nobleman invited 
Georgette Grandfief to dance. The young girl 
had counted upon this, and had reserved that 
dance for him, as she hoped that the music and 
the animation of the ball would drive away the 
habitual reserve of her partner. But she was 
bound to be disappointed ; for, during the inter- 
vals between the figures, the conversation dragged 
along in its usual formal way. Gerard kept his 
eyes on the door, and only opened his lips to 
speak the most commonplace monosyllables. 
Georgette returned to her seat very much out of 
sorts. 

The crowd began to drift toward the billiard- 
hall; the first bowl of punch had loosened the 
tongues and broken the ice. The young men 
fluttered gayly around the sofas and arm-chairs 
where a group of young girls were assembled, 


THE MHRRMGE OF GER/IRD 


89 


chatting and laughing merrily behind their fans, 
or sticking their pretty noses into their bouquets. 
A joyous hum of voices mingled with the 
rustling of silken gowns filled the grand salon 
where the atmosphere was warm and lumin- 
ous. 

Alone, the lad, Anatole, seated on a bench, 
was thinking that, on the whole, a ball as a 
diversion was far inferior to a game of tag. 
He was amusing himself by putting his fingers 
into his ears, alternately shutting and open- 
ing them, to enjoy the singular contrast be- 
tween the sudden noisy uproar and the artificial 
silence. All at once a lull succeeded the tumult- 
uous hum of voices, and every eye was turned 
toward the door, where appeared Madame Lahey- 
rard, accompanied by Marius and Helene. 

Madame Laheyrard, who wore a rose colored 
costume cut very d^collete^ and was leaning 
proudly upon the arm of her son, made her way 
toward the hostess. The poet was superb; his 
luxuriant blonde beard rested upon a white cra- 
vat with long floating ends; and he had ordered 
for the occasion a vest of sky blue satin which 
could not fail to create a sensation. 

"I do not wish to be taken for a notary.” he 
had said, ‘‘and the stylish color of the vest is 


90 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


intended to correct the bourgeois tone of the 
coat and the black pantaloons.” 

As to Helene, her toilet excited a murmur of 
admiration from the men and brought a frown of 
jealousy to the brows of the women. 

Her dress was of white gauze and displayed 
marvelously the grace of her perfect form. Rest- 
ing lightly upon this airy, silken stuff was a sim- 
ple wild blackberry vine, fruit and flower, loop- 
ing here and there the drapery of her skirt. This 
vine was caught on the shoulder, just where the 
gauze revealed her milk-white arm, by a butter- 
fly with azure wings, and among the ringlets of 
her magnificent blonde hair there nestled grace- 
fully a wreath of the same wild vine. 

Sure of the effect of this toilet, at once so sim- 
ple and elegant, the coquettish young girl looked 
about with her great brown eyes, without any 
false modesty, yet at the same time without bold- 
ness; then she took a seat near her mother with 
an ease and elegance that put the finishing touch 
to the exasperation of those around her. In the 
twinkling of an eye, as if by a .acit understand- 
ing, there was a movement of retreat in the 
neighboring groups that completely isolated the 
new-comers. 

As the mother of the young student Anatole, 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


91 


Madame Grandfief felt quite desirous to keep on 
good terms with the University officials and to be 
friendly to the wife of the Inspector. Perceiv- 
ing at once the chilly attitude of her guests to- 
ward the Laheyrards, she whispered a word into 
the ear of Georgette who went right over and sat 
beside Helene. 

“My mother wishes you to give us some music,” 
she said to Helene. “Have you brought any of 
those songs which you sing so well?” 

“I know them by heart,” replied Helene, 'and 
I am at your disposal.” 

She crossed the room and seated herself at the 
piano, drawing off her gloves with a little jerk, 
in order to accompany herself. 

Amid a profound silence she sang that old love 
song, set to the air of an old dance, which our 
fathers called the Romanesque. 

“All fond des halliers, 

Du grand bois qui bourgeonne. 

Entends-tu les ramiers, 

O ma mignonne? 

D’ aimer et d’etre aime 
Voici I’heure, 

Centre mon coeur charme, 

Ah! demeure — 

Mignonne, est-il rose qui fleure 

Mieux que 1’ amour, 1’ amour au mois de mai?” 


92 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


Helene’s voice was so soft and her accent so 
tender, yet so clear and penetrating, that, not- 
withstanding the prejudices of Juvigny society, 
she was warmly applauded. 

“What enthusiasm!" whispered ill-humoredly 
cousin Provench^res to her eldest daughter. “For 
me, I consider it very bad form for young gir’s 
to sing songs that treat so boldly of love.” 

Gerard hastened to compliment Helene. She 
gave him her hand with a radiant smile. 

“How do you like my dress?” she said, turning 
round gayly for him to admire it better. “Have 
I your approval?” 

“You are too beautiful!” replied the young man, 
dazzled by her loveliness. “That garland of 
berries seems just to have been plucked from the 
forest. It gives you an inexpressibly fresh charm, 
and beside you, the other dancers are like wil ted 
hot-house plants.” 

“Are you speaking sincerely?" 

“From the depths of my heart!" 

His sincere admiration was so eloquently ex- 
pressed in Lis eyes, that Helene could not doubt 
it. 

She was bewitching, and Gerard invited her to 
dance the first mazourka before leaving her. 

“You are acquainted with M. de Seigneulles 















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THE MHRRIHGE OF GERARD . 93 

then?” said Georgette, who came up unexpect- 
edly. 

“Certainly; we are neighbors, and M. Gerard 
is a friend of my brother.” 

“Truly!” said Mile. Grandfief, “he has never 
mentioned it to me. Well, my dear, ” she contin- 
ued, taking Helene aside, “I am going to tell you 
a secret.” 

“A secret! ' 

“Yes; and in exchange, you must do me a 
favor. It concerns my marrying M. de Seign- 
eulles. Have you heard it?” 

Helene nodded her head and remained silent. 
She felt her joy suddenly melting away, leaving 
her heart as cold as ice. The rumors of the mar- 
riage were not new to her, but without knowing 
why, she treated them as mere gossip; Geor- 
gette’s words now ruthlessly confirmed them. 

“They wish us to marry, ” said Georgette, “and 
my mother imagines that all is going well be- 
cause she has the consent of the Chevalier, but 
I am not of her opinion. I find my betrothed 
cold and indifferent, and I wish I knew if he 
really cares for me.” 

Helene became very pale and bit the end of 
her fan with an embarrassed air; but Georgette 


94 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


was so occupied with herself that she did not 
observe this tale telling attitude. 

“You will certainly dance with him,” she con- 
tinued; “take that opportunity to turn the con- 
versation upon me, and endeavor to make M. 
Gerard express himself. You alone can render 
me this service; in the first place, because you 
have the spirit and dare to speak; my other 
friends are jealous of me and would not be sorry 
to separate us, while you — “ 

“Yes, I do not count,” said Helene, trying to 
mask her feelings with a smile. 

“I did not say that ; but then you do not dream 
of marrying here, and that is the main point. 
Go, my dear, and do this for me, and if, during 
the conversation, you find an opportunity of 
sounding my praise, do not restrain yourself." 

The orchestra began to play a mazourka and 
the two girls separated. 


VIII 


They played a mazourka; it was the dance 
promised to Gerard, and as Helene saw the 
young man approaching her, her heart beat with 
apprehension at the thought of the promise ex- 
acted by Georgette. At the same time, she her- 
self had a certain curiosity to bring about an 
explanation on his part. 

She took his arm and ere long they were danc- 
ing lightly to the inspiring music. The flute and 
the French horn mingled their chords with the 
more lively notes of the stringed instruments; 
the couples glided softly, the silken robes rustled 
and the lovely flowers in the bouquets and coif- 
fures filled the warm, luminous air with strong, 
sweet odors. 

Helene and Gerard having danced their way 
through the ball-room, the gallery, and the wide 
hall, had reached the extreme end of the billiard- 
hall when Helene stopped brusquely. 

95 


96 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"Are you fatigued," demanded Gerard. 

"No; only a little oppressed; let us rest a 
moment." 

At that very instant, Georgette glided before 
them in the arms of Marius, and although danc- 
ing, she gave Helene a significant glance from 
the corner of her eye. 

"Mile. Grandfief has the appearance of enjoy- 
ing herself greatly,” said Helene in a hesitating 
voice, "she is very lovely this evening." 

Gerard made no reply. 

"Do you not agree with me?” she continued 
with some insistence. 

"She has a pretty complexion,” he answered 
with an air of indifference. 

"A pretty complexion! Now that is a poor 
compliment. She has such handsome eyes and 
beautiful hair.” 

"Not so beautiful as yours,” interrupted Ge- 
rard as he looked admiringly at the flowing ring- 
lets that fell over her white shoulders. 

"And then,” continued Helene, "she has nat- 
ural dignity and that is a great merit; she is 
amiable and industrious; besides, she has a num- 
ber of other good qualities.” 

"She possesses something that you have forgot- 
ten,” he said with a slight show of impatience. 


THE M^RRUGE OF GERARD 


91 


"And what is it?" asked Helene. 

"A very devoted friend." 

They looked into each other’s eyei. for a 
moment. Helene could not refrain from smiling, 
but she soon became grave again. 

"You are very sarcastic. I know that it is bad 
taste to boast of such matters, but even if Geor- 
gette is your betrothed I think you carry your 
modesty a little too far!" 

Gerard blushed. "My betrothed!" he exclaim- 
ed, "is it possible that you believe such a thing? " 

"Everyone speaks of it, and your father does 
not deny it." 

"Mile. Grandfief is perhaps my betrothed in the 
dreams of my father, but she will never be in 
mine!" 

He lowered his eyes and sighed, then added in 
a trembling voice: 

"The betrothed of my heart, the one whom I 
love — is you! " and then, as if frightened at his 
own audacity, he grasped Helene’s hand to con- 
tinue the mazourka. 

The young girl was as pale as a lily, but her 
brilliant eyes betra5^ed the joy in her heart. 

"Helene," he murmured, intoxicated with the 
music and her loving glances, "Helene! — " 

The Marriage of Gerard 7 


98 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


“Hush! Hush!” she whispered in a voice ac 
once tender and imperious. 

At the same time she pressed his hand gently. 

The whole world disappeared from the eyes of 
the dazzled Gerard; he raised to his lips the lit- 
tle hand that trembled within his own. The 
room was empty, and no one could see them. 
He believed so at least, but the door of the bill- 
iard-hall opened opposite to the dressing-room, 
where little Reine, puzzled at their long stay in 
this solitary corner, stooped from time to time, 
to peep at the two young people. So that pas- 
sionate kiss was caught on the wing by the little 
seamstress. 

“You must not!" stammered Helene who had 
lost her usual sangfroid. She took several steps, 
marking the time of the mazourka, and drew her 
partner along with her. 

“Let us profit by these last bars,” she said, 
“for we will dance no more together this even- 
ing. ” 

'T will dance with no one else," replied Ge- 
rard, as the orchestra played the last notes of the 
mazourka. 

After Gerard left her, Helene stood for some 
time motionless' in the middle of the hall, ab- 
sorbed in the thrilling memory of what had just 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 99 

passed between them. Suddenly she was startled 
by the light touch of a fan on her arm. 

“Well!” whispered Georgette, "have you spo- 
ken to him about me?” 

Helene started and bowed her head in the 
affirmative. 

“You spoke well of me, I hope,” continued 
Mile. Grandfief. 

“Yes. But — ” 

“What did he say?” she demanded eagerly. 

Reflection was never a dominant characteristic 
in Helene’s nature, and Georgette had come 
to question her when her mind was utterly upset. 
So the words escaped her lips before she real- 
ized what she was saying. 

"He said that I was a very devoted friend.” 

By the astonished look of Mile. Grandfief she 
comprehended that she had made a very foolish 
reply, and wishing to repair the mischief done, 
she stammered out an embarrassed explanation. 

But it was too late. 

“Ah!” cried the furious Georgette turning away 
from her, “this is funny, to say the least!” 

Meanwhile, the hours flew by. On a settee in 
the billiard-hall young Anatole, made drowsy by 
the punch and the warmth of the rooms, had 
fallen fast asleep. The merry animation of the 


C. 


100 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


dance was succeeded by the noisy tuniult of 
supper. The tinkling of glasses, the clinking of 
the silver and the popping of champagne bottles 
mingled with the joyous laughter and the hum 
of voices. Above it all, one could hear the bright 
sallies of Marius. He had a place next to 
Georgette who dipped her rosy lips into the 
sparkling champagne and seemed entirely con- 
soled for the indifference of Gerard. When the 
violins gave the signal for the cotillion she ac- 
cepted the arm of the poet, and without heed- 
ing the commands of her mother, she danced 
again with the gay young man. 

By degrees, the crowd diminished and the rum- 
bling of wheels could be heard on the garden 
gravel. The carriage of Madame Laheyrard was 
announced; the wife of the Inspector beckoned 
to Helene and Marius, but Gerard approaching 
Helene, offered her his arm to conduct her to 
the dressing-room. After wrapping about her 
shoulders a light shawl, to protect her from the 
night air, he escorted her and Madame Laheyrard 
to the carriage. 

“Au revoir!” cried Helene, as she sprang in 
lightly after her mother. 

Marius closed the door and made a majestic 
bow. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


101 


"Proceed,” said he to the coachman; "I will 
return on foot with my friend Gerard: 

“ ‘Je veux baigner mon coeur dans le frais du matin, 

Comme on trempe un biscuit dans du vieux chambertin.’ ” 

It was four o^ clock. In the east, above the 
vineyards, purple and rosy clouds announced the 
break of day, and one could already hear the 
song of the lark. Marius, his brain excited with 
wine, hummed a waltz as they wended their way 
homeward. Gerard trudged along by his side, his 
heart thrilling with ecstasy, his eyes fixed on the 
heavens. 

"Brrr, it is chilly!" said Marius. “That little 
fdte was charming; Mile. Grandfief is an amia- 
ble girl, and the champagne of her father is a 
glorious wine!" 

He then launched forth on the beauty of 
Georgette. This good fellow of a poet, who in 
his verses sang only of goddesses of marble 
whiteness and fawn-like eyes, was in reality sin- 
gularly susceptible to the bourgeois charms of a 
ruddy complexion and a retrouss^ nose. “She is 
like a Rubens^ portrait, " he cried in praising the 
plump shoulders and rosy lips of Mile. Grandfief. 
“Ah! my friend, although the hard metal of my 
heart has been gnawed by all the acids of life, 


102 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


I felt this evening that the arro^vs of Eros 
could cause it to vibrate once more; I am in 
love!" 

"You also!" said Gerard ingenuously. 

"Myself — but pshaw! I will not reveal her 
name. Know only that she is as beautiful as 
the Graces, and that she has received the avowal 
of my love. " 

"What! Already? 

"Yes, you know I always have in my pocket 
original sonnets. " 

"You have read one of them to her!" demanded 
Gerard in surprise. 

"Better than that! I have slipped one of them 
between her pretty fingers, and, ma foil she quick- 
ly concealed it within her glove, and lowered her 
eyes like a frightened dove." 

Gerard could not resist laughing when he pict- 
ured to himself the expression of this unknown 
inamorata when she would decipher the strange 
verses of the poetic Marius. 

The poet himself burst out laughing, and the 
hills reverberated with the noisy hilarity of the 
two friends. The larks mounted gayly to the 
pearl-tinted clouds, and in the vineyard the 
thrush began to warble. 

"How glorious!" cried Marius; "this delicious 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


103 


air, the limpid and the songs of the birds 
make one very light-hearted indeed!” 

And he hummed the air that Helene had sung: 

“Mignonne, est-il rose qui fleure 
Mieux que I’amour, I’amour au mois de mai?” 

“Ah! my friend!” he said, pressing the hand of 
Marius who was astonished at the enthusiasm 
of the young man usually so reserved. “What a 
good thing it is to live, and how happy I am 
this morning!” 

“I love to see you thus. Long life to youth!” 
cried Marius, throwing his hat into the air. 
“And to think that at this very moment lots of 
bald-headed, rheumatic bourgeois keep sloth- 
fully in their beds, slanderers of the morning 
dew! Stupid old men!” 

He took Gerardos arm and the two, overflow- 
ing with health and youth, walked lightly toward 
the upper town, singing fragments of love songs 
and declaiming sentimental verses. When they 
arrived at the foot of the Palval terraces, Gerard 
drew from his pocket a pass-key, but Marius 
stopped him with a superb gesture. 

“Why, my dear fellow,” said he, “wilt thou 
enter prosaically by the door? Hast thou forgot- 
ten Romeo, the ball of the Willows, and thy 


104 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


former squirrel-like nimbleness! Let us scale 
the terrace, my boy!” 

"Willingly,” said Gerard. At that moment he 
would have stormed the heavens to bring back 
a ray of the stars. They clambered up the 
espalier which cracked under their feet. When 
they attained the parapet the rising sun greeted 
them with its first rosy beams. 

"And now, my son,” said Marius, "let us em- 
brace!” 

"Let us embrace!” repeated Gerard as he 
pressed to his heart the brother of Helene. 

Standing upon the wall they addressed a bois- 
terous "good morning” to an early vine-dresser who 
looked up at them in affright; then the two, leap- 
ing the partition wall, disappeared at the same 
time behind the hedge of yoke elms in the gar- 
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IX 

Just as the sudden evaporation of ether pro- 
duces intense cold, so is every unusual excite- 
ment of tlie brain followed by a reaction of 
calm and cooling reflection. In the moral and 
the physical order, the law is the same. Gerard 
de Seigneulles experienced this the morning after 
the ball at Salvanches, when lie awoke from a rest- 
less sleep to find his room flooded with sunlight. 
His exaltation of the previous evening vanished 
like subtle smoke, leaving him alone with cold 
reason. He loved Helene, and he had avowed 
his love,, but at the same time, in the ^ves of his 
father and of the Grandfief family, he was be- 
trothed to Georgette. He could not honorably 
continue to play this double role. His loyalty 
and his love for Mile. Laheyrard commanded 
him to clear up matters with all possible speed; 
but on the other hand, he could not reflect with- 
out terror on the means he would have to employ 
105 


106 


THE M^RRIHGE OF GERARD 


to extricate himself from this equivocal situa- 
tion, and on the explosion of vi^rath with which 
the Chevalier de Seigneulles would receive the 
unwelcome denouement. 

Meanwhile, he was impatient to see Helene 
again, and yet he did not wish to meet her until 
he was entirely free from Mile. Grandfief. 

He resolved to go to Salvanches on the mor- 
row, and not to return until he had withdrawn all 
claims to the hand of Georgette. In order not 
to complicate matters, he would continue to dis- 
simulate at home, not caring to confront the 
paternal wrath until he had bravely burned his 
bridges behind him. 

When he found himself on his way to Salvan- 
ches, although he walked with decent delibera- 
tion, the trees on the avenue disappeared with 
astonishing rapidity. 

He pictured to himself the scene in the Grand- 
fief fam.i’y circle; he imagined their questions, 
their responses, he could hear the solemn into- 
nations of Madame Grandfief, and he foresaw that 
in her presence he would cut but a sorry figure. 

At the gate when he had rung the bell, each 
sound went to his heart, and it was with a hesi- 
tating voice that he inquired of the servant if 
the ladies would receive him. Yes, the ladies 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


107 


were working in their sitting-room and would 
see him there. In the vestibule he had a last 
quaking, but invoking the fair face of Helene, 
he recovered his courage and entered, determined 
to bring matters to a satisfactory finale. 

Madame Grandfief was standing up assorting a 
pile of linen. Seated near a window before one 
of those beautiful spindles that we often see in 
the pictures by Chardin, and that our grand- 
mothers called a giroinde^ Mile. Grandfief was 
winding a skein of silk. Madame Grandfief liked 
for her visitors to surprise her daughter engaged 
in these minor details of domestic life; it gave 
her a serious air, and made her appear house- 
wifely. 

After an exchange of commonplace greetings, 
Madame Grandfief took up her pile of linen and 
left the two young people tete-a-tete. 

It seemed to her that Gerard was somewhat 
reserved, and imagining that her presence intim- 
idated him, she resolved for the first time to leave 
him alone with her daughter; however, being a 
prudent mother, her ears burned to listen behind 
the door of the adjoining apartment. 

Gerard was seated in an arm-chair pondering 
how he should broach the subject; Georgette 
continued to wind her thread, while through the 


108 


THE MARRI/fGE OF GERARD 


open window the jasmines thrust their tendrils 
into the room, almost touching with their sweet- 
scented blossoms the glossy braids of her black 
hair. At intervals they could hear the murmur 
of the Ornain as it flowed impetuously through 
^ the park. The silence was first broken by the 
young girl excusing herself for pursuing her work 
of spinning. Gerard expressed his astonishment 
at seeing her so industrious the day after a ball. 

"I must occupy my time to the best of my abil- 
ity,” she said, "and I have not the resources of 
Mile. Laheyrard.” Gerard’s behavior at the ball 
had grievously wounded the young lady’s afjiour 
propre, and her present tone and manner showed 
it very plainly. The young man hastened to take 
advantage of this opportunity. 

“I do not believe,” he said, "that Mile. Lahey- 
rard is ever idle; indeed, she always seems to 
be busied." 

"With her dresses, yes. It is true that is an 
all-important occupation. How did you like her 
costume at the ball?” 

"Simple and in good taste.” 

"Simple, perhaps; that gauze dress did not 
cost her much; but as to being in good taste, 
that is not the general opinion.” 

"It is my opinion,” said Gerard shortly, 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


109 


“Ah!" said Georgette, spitefully, becoming 
more and more excited as she proceeded. “Since 
you are her friend, advise her never again to 
ornament her shoulders with butterflies." 

“Mile. Laheyrard has no lessons in taste to 
learn from anyone ; she is too much of a Parisian 
for that." 

“And too much of a coquette to deprive her- 
self of a single gewgaw that will attract atten- 
tion. " 

The contest had begun. Bitter words darted 
like arrows. Beneath the medlar trees in the 
park the scolding voice of the rushing river, 
grew louder as if in harmony with the quarrel 

“She is beautiful enough," said Gerard final- 
ly, “to dispense with being a coquette." 

“With what ardor you defend her!" cried Geor- 
gette, to whom jealousy had given spirit for the 
first time. “You are a very devoted friend.” 

“Mile. Layherard could not be spoken of in 
any other terms by any of her friends." 

“That reproach does not touch me. Mile. 
Laheyrard is not my friend, thank heaven! I 
am more select in my friendships. ” 

“We place our heart as we choose," sharply 
replied Gerard; who was irritated in his turn. 
“As for me, I am very fond of her, and I will 


110 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


not suffer her to be attacked in my presence." 

This was the drop of bitterness that was des- 
tined to make the cup overflow. Georgette aiose, 
her eyes flashing and her nostrils dilating. 

"And you dare tell me this!” she cried. "Ah I 
it is too much! ” She could say no more, her 
anger made her speechless, so she resorted to 
the last resource of women when pushed to an 
extremity and burst into tears. 

Madame Grandfief who had watched the whole 
scene from behind the door, appeared suddenly 
on the threshold of the sitting-room. 

"Sir,” she cried, "your conduct is shameful! 

I regret bitterly having ever opened my door to 
you. ” 

"Madame,” said Gerard, taking his hat and 
bowing, "in the future you will have no occasion 
for such regrets.” 

He went out much incensed, yet his heart felt 
lighter as he breathed the warm air, walking 
rapidly in the direction of the upper town. 

While Gerard executed his coup d' dt at at Sal- 
vanches, Francelin Finoel, finding it impossible 
to work in his office, resolved to make a visit to 
the Laheyrard house. He had, as yet, received 
only vague accounts of the Grandfief ball, for 
Reine Lecomte had not returned home since the 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


in 


evening of the entertainment; they had kept her 
at Salvanches to aid in putting things in order, 
and she had also slept there. While climbing to 
the upper town, the little hunchback turned over 
in his mind his grand projects; his expressive 
face, more pale than usual, and his rapid gait, 
betrayed his feverish anxiety. Ke stopped before 
ascending the steps to the threshold, to wipe 
from his brow the cold perspiration. 

A spectacle calculated to calm his nerves, 
awaited him in the garden, where the Laheyrrrd 
family were assembled under the shade of the 
great mulberry tree. On a chafing dish there 
steamed a large copper-kettle full of boiling 
sirup, and on the ground near by were several 
baskets heaped up with golden plums, which 
Madame Laheyrard, after having stoned them, 
dropped into great Dutch-ware plates, where they 
gave forth the delicious odor of ripe, crushed fruit. 
Tonton and Benjamin with faces smeared with 
preserves, viewed the preparations with greedy 
looks. 

Helene, covered with a long white apron, her 
sleeves rolled up to the elbows, was standing over 
the kettle, stirring the contents with a long spoon, 
which she lifted from time to time, dripping 
with bright drops of sirup that sparkled in the 


112 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


sunshine. When she saw Finoel, she cried: — 
Come join us, and assist in the great work of 
making preserves. Who can ever say again that 
I am not a domestic young woman. Have you 
ever seen a better housemaiden than I?” 

She was very animated; the heat from the 
chafing dish tinged her cheeks with a beautiful 
pink color; her laughing eyes and her whole 
countenance betrayed a secret joy. Francelin 
threw a discontented look kt Madame Laheyrard 
and the children. He had counted upon finding 
Helene in her studio, and his disappointment 
increased his nervous disquietude. He marched 
up and down near the great kettle, without re- 
sponding to the questioning of the children, watch- 
ing with a bitter expression on his lips, the 
strange silhouette of his shadow on the sands 
of the garden walk. 

"You enjoyed the ball?" he finally said to 
Helene. 

"Immensely! " responded the young girl, pour- 
ing a bowlful of fruit into the boiling sirup, 
and stirring it with the long spoon. The air was 
full of the pleasant savory odor of plums which 
the children sniffed with open nostrils. 

"This is delicious!" she cried, drinking in the 
odorous air. "By the way, I looked for you the 





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THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


113 


Other evening at the Grandfiefs’. Why did you 
not come?” 

"It was impossible,” answered Finoel, his face 
turning crimson. 

To Helene alone, he would not have hesitated 
to tell the truth, but before Madame Laheyrard 
his pride would suffer too much by the humiliat- 
ing confession. He lowered, his eyes and with 
an embarrassed manner continued his promenad- 
ing. His ambiguous answer did not deceive 
Helene, and when she saw his blush, she divined 
the true cause of his absence. When the pre- 
selves were cooked to a turn, she lifted the 
steaming kettle to the stone steps and said to 
Finoel: 

“Come to the studio; I have some new music 
to show to you. ” 

When they were alone she interpreted from his 
restless manner that there was something on his 
mind. 

"Do you wish to speak to me about anything?” 
she said. 

"Yes,” he murmured. He walked up and down 
the room several times and then said: 

“Do you recall a conversation we had here 
about ten days ago? You spoke of leaving 
Juvigny to become a teacher, and you promised 

The Marriage of Gerard 8 


114 


THE M^RRMGE OF GERARD 


to take no serious step in the matter before con- 
sulting me. Have you decided to go?'* 

“I hardly know,” she replied, blushing in her 
turn; “I must confess that I have thought but 
little about it recently. Have you heard of any 
advantageous situation?" 

"No; but for ten days I have been forming in 
my mind a great resolution. My position at the 
Prefecture is now more substantial; my salary is 
increasing, and I am thinking of marrying.” 

He hesitated before Helene’s looks of aston- 
ishment. 

"You are surprised," he continued, "and, in 
fact, humble and ill-shaped as 1 am, the idea is 
a strange one. The young women of Juvigny, who 
judge by outward appearances only, would turn 
up their noses at a proposal from me. But it is 
not among them that I seek a wife. The woman 
of whom I dream must have an intellectual mind, 
her intelligent eyes must pierce this unpleasant 
exterior to find beneath those qualities that which 
goes to make a true man. I am ambitious ; I have 
a soul that aspires to an exalted position, and 
I possess the strength of will necessary to grasp 
them. These are the guarantees of happiness 
that I have to offer to the woman I wish to 
marry. ” 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


115 


As he spoke, Helene, seated at the piano, 
opened her eyes wider and wider. Slie began to 
comprehend the drift of his words and she 
trembled lest he should discover that she divined 
it. Her looks expressed at the same time a pain- 
ful apprehension and a sweet pity. Finoel con- 
tinued, lowering his look and walking up and 
down the floor: 

"That intellectual woman, with her tender 
heart and her great courageous soul exists; a 
happy chance has thrown me in her way, and it 
is in her presence to-day, that I am pouring out 
my soul — " 

He stopped in front of Helene, gazing at her 
passionatel3^ 

"Would you be ashamed to have me for your 
husband, Helene?” 

This time he had spoken clearly, and it was 
necessary to anwswer. 

"I?” she cried, trembling painfully. 

"Have I deceived myself?" he replied with an 
infinite bitterness in his voice; "have you not 
welcomed me in spite of my humble birth? have 
you not confided to me your dreams, your hopes 
your troubles, as one does to a dear friend?" 

"Yes; as to a companion of my hours of soli- 
tude and ennui/- 


116 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


“As to one you would wish to be the compan- 
ion of your whole life?” he demanded eagerly. 

“Of my whole life!” cried Helene; “no, I have 
never had such a thought.” 

He bit his lips and replied fiercely: “Have 
you never reflected that perhaps my sentiments 
for you might lead me to this? When you spoke 
to me sweetly, when you sang to me, when you 
pressed my hand, did you never dream that such 
familiarity might arouse in me the v/ildest 
hopes, and give me almost a kind of right?” 

“A right!” she cried out vehemently; “you 
have indeed singularly misunderstood me, Mon- 
sieur, for I never did love you.” 

He stood there, silently looking at her, with 
his large eyes full of reproach. Fearing that she 
had been too abrupt, she added in a gentle voice: 

“If my thoughtlessness and familiarity have 
caused you to mistake for love that which was 
only an affectionate cajuaraderie, I regret it from 
the depths of m3' heart, and humbly ask your 
pardon. ” 

Her heart was really moved with compassion, 
and tears glistened in her eyes; but Finoel was 
too much occupied with himself to notice them; 
his pride had been wounded to the quick. “1 am 
not altogether surprised at your answer,” he said 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


117 


at last. "During the last ten days, something has 
happened to change your heart and turn your 
thoughts elsewhere; I will not have to seek very 
far to solve the mystery.” 

"You have provoked me at last,” exclaimed 
Helene, irritated at FinoeTs persistence; “I do 
not understand you, but I wish to hear nothing 
more about the whole thing.” 

She started toward the door, but the hunch- 
back placed himself before her and barred the 
way. 

"You shall hear me to the end,” he said, his 
eyes flashing with anger. "I am not duped, and 
I well know that you prefer the name of Seign- 
eulles to that of Finoel! But if I am not mis- 
taken you had better take care, or you will be 
cruelly deceived in your turn. The handsome 
Gerard will only compromise you; that is what 
the people of the town predict.” 

"You are becoming insolent,” cried Helene. 
A flush of anger mounted to her brow, her lips 
grew pale, and her eyes filled with indignation. 
She seized the hat which Finoel had laid upon 
a table and thrusting it into his hands, made the 
hunchback recoil before her glances of scorn. 

She opened wide the door of the vestibule. 

"Adieu,” she said in a constrained voice, and 


118 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


as Finoel remained, disconcerted and motionless, 
she stamped her foot angrily, and pointing to the 
door, she commanded: “Leave me, instantly! ’’ 

He darted furiously from the house, so blinded 
with exasperation that he rushed violently against 
his rival who was walking the Rue du Tribel. 
Finoel threw upon him an envenomed glance 
that made Gerard experience a sudden sensation 
of uneasiness, similar to that caused by the 
cold, magnetic gaze of a rattlesnake. 

The rain was beginning to fall; the hunch- 
back removed his hat, so that the fresh drops of 
water might cool his burning head. He entered 
his poor chamber, and then gave vent to his rage 
and hatred. His sickly features were contracted 
and in his shriveled fingers he twisted nervous- 
ly a lock of his straight black hair. 

And so, twice in one week had his pride been 
terribly wounded; first by the refusal of an invi- 
tation to Salvanches, and finally by the cruel dis- 
dain of Helene Laheyrard — two painful shocks 
that had suddenly cast him to the bottom of that 
hill of success his vaulting ambition had assist- 
ed him to climb. 

All must now be begun anew, and he felt op- 
pressed and feverish with discouragement. Within 
his heart there raged a storm of rancor and hate; 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


119 


and as if to echo his despair, the wind sobbed 
among the trees in the garden of the old college, 
and the rain pattered on the roofs and overflowed 
in the gutters. Amid the routing of his better 
thoughts, there came to him as in a vision of a 
paradise lost, the blonde, seductive image of 
Helene, and near her the triumphant face of 
Gerard de Seigneulles. His rage redoubled, and 
striking the table with his fist he cried aloud: 

"Oh! I will have my revenge! I will have my 
revenge!" 

A slight noise made him turn his head, and he 
perceived Reine Lecomte standing right upon 
the door-sill. She had returned from Salvanches, 
and running in to relate what had happened 
at the ball, she had pushed her way into FinoePs 
room. 

Hearing his exclamation and noticing his dis- 
torted features, she supposed he already knew the 
details of the soiree, and so assumed at once a 
look and tone of condolence. 

"Well, now! my poor Francelin," she said, 
"was I not right when I told you to beware of 
that Parisian? So you know what happened at 
the ball?" 

"What happened?" he queried angrily. 

"Ah! you know nothing — it is the talk of the 


120 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


town, already. Mile. Laheyrard and M. Gerard 
de Seigneulles did not leave each other during 
the whole evening, and I saw him myself tender- 
ly kiss her hand.” 

She then narrated to him the scene in the 
billiard-hall. 

"Everybody is talking of it," she continued, 
"and I am sure that the marriage with Mile. 
Grandfief has fallen to the ground. And they 
are ridiculing you, Francelin, for you have only 
served as a screen to conceal the sport of the 
lovers. ” 

Finoel bit his lips, and his eyes flashed. 

"But patience," continued little Reine, "papa 
Seigneulles is not pleasant-tempered every da}^ 
and he shall make a great fuss when he hears the 
news; so you see the Parisian is not at the end 
of her troubles." 

"Do you really believe that he will keep his 
son from marrying her?" 

"I am sure of it, and if you will only listen to 
me — Francelin, you know I am a good-hearted 
girl, and I have never borne you a grudge for 
your rudeness to me. So let us be friends." 

She held out her hand, and almost by force 
seized the long, lean fingers of Finoel, who 
looked at her with anxious, questioning eyes. 



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THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


121 


“Let us once more be good friends,” she re- 
peated pressing his hand, “and I will assist you 
in your revenge.” 


X 

When Gerard returned from Salvanches he was 
informed by Manette that the Chevalier had de- 
parted for the Grange Allard. 

About three leagues from Juvigny in the 
depths of the forest of Grand-Jur6, M. de 
Seigneulles had a beautiful farm that he cher- 
ished as the apple of bis eye. He often spent 
whole weeks there, lodging in a garret scantily 
furnished, eating with the farmers, and not dis- 
daining, himself, to push the plow, or brandish 
the flail. This time he had gone to supervise 
the threshing of his wheat, and he counted upon 
spending eight days there. 

On receiving this information Gerard experi- 
enced a sense of relief. His quarrel with the 
Grandfiefs had exhausted his courage, and he 
was not sorry to enjoy a week’s respite before 
braving the storm of paternal wrath. As soon as 
he had dined, he hastened to see Helene, whom 
he found alone in the studio. 

123 


THE MHRRMGE OF GERARD 


123 


She had not recovered from the agitation caused 
her by the visit of Francelin Finoel, and she 
silently pressed Gerard’s hand. “I have just 
come from Salvanches, " he began, “and I have 
accomplished what I wished. Now the coast is 
clear, for I shall never again put my foot into the 
Grandfief house. My heart is free, Helene, and I 
offer it to you entirely.” 

She put her finger on her lips. “Hush!” she 
said smiling; “but have you spoken to your 
father?” 

“Not yet," he answered a little embarrassed; 
“he has just left for Grange- Allard, but he shall 
be apprised of everything as soon as he re- 
turns. ” 

There was a moment of silence and a slight 
cloud passed over the face of the young girl. 

“It seems to me,” she said, “that you have be- 
gun at the wrong end; it was to M. de Seign- 
eulles that you should have spoken first.” 

''Do not scold me," he said, with the air of a 
supplicant; “that hour spent at Salvanches has 
left my nerves in a pitiable state. Play me a 
tune from Mozart to soothe them.” 

She seated herself at the piano and began a 
sonata, and Gerard watched her by the trembling 
light of the wax candles that flickered in the 


124 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


breeze blowing from the garden. Her golden 
ringlets, the spirituelle outline of her profile, 
her white hands flashing on the ivory keys, the 
soft sweep of her light brown lashes on the vel- 
vety cheek — nothing escaped him. 

The murmur of the wind in the garden-trees 
was like a low sweet melody, a soft undertone 
in harmony with the clear notes of the piano. 
The corner where they sat was brightly light- 
ed, but the rest of the studio was plunged 
into mysterious shadows that added to the charm 
of the tete-a-tete, and increased its intimacy. 
They passed two hours thus, scarcely speaking. 
They were listening to the new song of love in 
their hearts, so sweetly in unison with the music 
of Mozart, and they were lost to all else. As for 
Gerard, that love bursting so miraculously into 
flower, made every moment more delicious. He 
had so long been deprived of any tenderness, 
so long tormented with confused desires, that 
this passion now took possession of his whole 
being — his heart and soul, his brain, his 
body. Like the tumultuous fermentation of 
wine in a vat, there was perhaps more of foam 
than liquor, more of bubbles than of strength. 
He loved Helene with the fiery ardor of his 
twenty-three years, adoring all of her — her spir- 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


125 


ited intelligence, the smile on her beautiful lips, 
the lovely depths of her brown eyes, and the 
goodness of her heart. 

Helene, on her side, was attracted to him by 
a secret influence that bound together the op- 
posing elements of their natures. 

This Parisian girl, born among skeptics, ele- 
gant and frivolous, was drawn to Gerard by the 
very qualities that were opposed to her Parisian 
education — that robust faith, that naive admira- 
tion, the fresh enthusiasm which is to the soul 
what the flower is to the fruit. 

Strange to say, owing perhaps to the myste- 
rious influence of blood and race, Gerard, in the 
bourgeois society of this little town, still had 
the courtly manners of a nobleman and all the 
delicacy of a cultivated intelligence. So Hel- 
ene loved him, as she knew how to love, with 
all the vehemence of an impetuous nature, and 
the strength of a pure and ardent heart. 

For a whole week they enjoyed their bliss with- 
out a cloud to darken it. They forgot the rest 
of the world; their feet no longer touched the 
earth,and giving themselves up entirely to the joy 
of loving, they committed imprudences, innocent 
enough in themselves, but which the gossips of 
a small town could not overlook. Accompanied 


126 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


b}^ the two children, Benjamin and Tonton, 
they went outside the gates of the vineyard, 
crossing the fields and meadows to find suitable 
landscapes for Helene to sketch. 

Madame Laheyrard, who already saw her daugh- 
ter married to young Seigneulles, opposed in no 
way these adventurous and unconventional ram- 
bles. 

She had never watched over Helene with any- 
thing like scrupulous care, and the prospect of a 
noble marriage intoxicated her vanity to such an 
extent that she never dreamed of playing the role 
of mentor. She cherished the most ambitious 
hopes, and built on that future union the scaf- 
folding of a chateau e7i Espagne. She lost what 
prudence she ever possessed, and with her usual 
intemperance of speech she could not refrain, 
when at the house of the tradesmen and gossips 
in the neighborhood, from hazarding transparent 
hints of a time, not far distant, when Helene 
would be addressed as Madame de Seigneulles. 

The imprudence of the two young people, and 
Madame Laheyrard’ s want of tact, were comment- 
ed upon and exaggerated with that amiable 
charity that is in the hearts of people in general, 
and of people in small towns in particular. In a 
few days there was hardly a house in Juvigny where 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


137 


some spicy detail could not be obtained in 
regard to the love affair of Helene and Gerard. 
The news made the tour of the town, wending 
its way along the ruins, that side of the great 
city clock; circulating through the quiet streets 
of the upper town; then redescending towards 
the gardens of Palval to lose itself in the froth- 
ing soap-suds of the wash-houses on the Ornain. 
Of course, the lovers were blissfuly ignorant of the 
rumors that were thus agitating the town. Lovers 
live in a strange atmosphere; their tenderness 
infolds them in a luminous fluid which reveals 
them, but which at the same time, isolates them, 
and renders them like that ocean bird that swims 
enveloped in globules of air, and floats through 
the torrents of waters like a diver under his bell. 
Helene and Gerard did not give one thought to 
the fragility of their happiness until the return 
of M. de Seigneulles was announced. 

“My father will arrive to-morrow morning,” 
said Gerard one evening, “and I will speak to 
him as soon as he comes.” 

'T shall think of you while you are on the 
rack,” answered Helene. She tried to smile, but 
she trembled inwardly at the thought that her 
destiny was to be placed into the hands of the 
terrible Chevalier. “You must return to me at 
dusk and tell me all.” 


128 


THE MARRI/tGE OF GERARD 


The next morning M. de Seigneulles, after a 
frugal breakfast at Grange-Allard, mounted 
Bruno and rode leisurely through the woods of 
Jur^. He was well satisfied; all the crops were 
gathered and in the barns; the grapes were be- 
ginning to turn purple, and promised a splendid 
vintage. While riding along, he was saying to 
himself that the courtship of Gerard and Mile. 
Grandfief ought by this time to have reached the 
same stage as the vines, and he planned to have 
the marriage take place before All-Saints day. 
On his arrival home, after confiding Bruno to 
Baptiste he entered the kitchen where Manette 
handed him two letters brought that morning by 
the postman. The first one was a very laconic 
epistle from Madame Grandfief. 

She announced coldly that she would have to 
withdraw her promise and renounce all idea of 
an alliance between Gerard and her daughter, as 
the two young people were wholly unsuited for 
each other. 

The second letter, written in an unfamiliar 
hand was unsigned, and couched in these terms: 

“Charitable friends consider it a duty to warn 
M. de Seigneulles of the compromising attentions 
of his son to Mile. Laheyrard. We know that the 
young men of this day and generation love to 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


129 


boast of their flirtations with penniless girls. 
CV Id jeux de princes: but if M. de Seign- 
uelles has not become completely blinded he will 
put a stop to an intimacy that scandalizes the 
town and gives one a sad opinion of the manners 
of young people well reared. ” 

The ancient guardsman swore an oath that 
shook the panes of glass in the kitchen windows. 

"Where is my son?" he exclaimed. 

Gerard had left the house before breakfast, and 
Manette thought surely he had gone to meet 
Monsieur. Without listening longer to her ver- 
bose explanations, M. de Seigneulles, with his 
gaiters on, and covered with dust, walked briskly 
to the house of the Abb^ Valland. He found 
him trudging leisurely under the elm-trees read- 
ing his breviary. 

"Did you know of my return?" he said excit 
edly, barring the way of the Abb^. 

Seeing the angry expression of the Chevalier, 
his disordered toilet and his eagle nose pinched 
with rage, M. Valland demanded in his turn; 

"Is Grange- Allard on fire?" 

"Sangrebleu! Worse than that. The mar- 
riage of Gerard is broken off!" 

The Curd rubbed the glasses of his spectacles 
with great care and deliberation. 

The Marriage of Gerard g 


130 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


“That is not all," continued the Chevalier. 
“My son has been inveigled by those Laheyrards, 
enticed into their house; and he is foolishly in 
love with that girl, a most scatter-brained creat- 
ure—" 

The Abb^ brushed off an almost invisible par- 
ticle of dust from his sleeve. 

“Yes," he finally answered with a sigh; “I 
have already had wind of that grievous affair, 
and I certainly intend to speak to Madame La- 
heyrard, but it is necessary to discuss the matter 
discreetly and with wise circumspection, to pre- 
vent scandal." 

“A pest on circumspection!" growled M. de 
Seigneulles; “must one put on gloves to handle 
two young scape-graces who have brought con- 
fusion into three families? What are we coming 
to and why do we no longer live in the time 
when, with a simple lettre de cachet one might 
thrust a disobedient son into a dungeon, and a 
giddy girl behind the iron gates of a convent! 
But I am able to defend myself and mine, and 
I am going to speak my mind to those intriguing 
women!" 

“Good Heavens!" cried the Abb6, “do not 
make such a disturbance, my friend! Helene is 
my godchild, and you had far better leave me to 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


131 


manage this affair and to reprimand the young 
girl. I promise you that I will go to see the 
ladies to-day, as soon as I have finished my bre- 
viary. ” 

M. de Seigneulles lowered his head. At heart 
he was not sorry that the Cur^ had taken upon 
himself the unpleasant mission. 

"So be it!" he said; "for you will speak with- 
out anger, and that will be better. But impress 
this upon them — that I forbid them receiving 
Gerard; and that if my son disobeys me in that 
respect, they must shut the door in his face. 
Meanwhile, I am going to see my young scamp, 
and will soon silence all this idle talk." 


XI 

M. de Seigneulles, taking a brusque leave of 
the Abbd, returned home, ascended to his cham- 
ber and took a seat near the window, not so 
much to dissipate the fumes of his wrath as to 
ruminate upon the most suitable punishment for 
the culprit. The window opened upon the gar- 
dens, and under his neighbor’s elm-trees he per- 
ceived a young girl in the full flower and beauty 
of eighteen summers. By her flowing blonde 
ringlets he recognized Mile. Laheyrard. 

"There,” thought he, "is the dangerous creature 
who has ensnared Gerard! " 

Helene moved gracefully among the flowers, 
bending her neck to smell a rose, or stooping to 
pluck a sprig of mignonette. In spite of his an 
ger the old Chevalier could not help being affected 
by such loveliness. He watched her as if fasci- 
nated, following with his eyes every move of her 
supple form. Suddenly she turned and ran 
132 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


133 


lightly to meet M. Laheyrard who was descending 
the walk, his nose buried in a book. 

With a bewitching gesture, she seized the vol- 
ume that absorbed the attention of the old 
savant, and concealed it in her pocket; then plac- 
ing her hands on his shoulders, she kissed him 
on each cheek, and taking his arm she began 
walking gayly by his side, making him admire 
the flowers, and bringing a bright and contented 
smile to his grave countenance. 

The father and daughter seemed to love each 
other devotedly, for their manner revealed a 
warm and tender affection. Those loving demon- 
strations, that sweet familiarity, brought a sigh 
to the lips of M. de Seigneulles. He had never 
known such relations, having always inspired 
more fear than love. That made him only more 
envious; those affectionate caresses which the 
young girl lavished upon her father, and that ten- 
derness, awakened within his heart slumbering 
emotions. Not wishing to succumb to such 
mollifying influences, he brusquely closed the 
window. 

At that moment Gerard entered the room, 
somewhat pale, but with a happy countenance. 

"Ah! you are here then!" exclaimed M. de 
Seigneulles, his angry passions rekindled; "I have 


134 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


just heard an astounding piece of news! Explain 
to me your conduct toward Mile. Grandfief and 
this unexpected falling out, of which I have just 
been informed." 

"I counted upon telling you of it myself, and 
I regret that it was impossible for me to do so 
first," said Gerard, lowering his eyes before the 
irritated glances of his father. "I have ceased 
my visits to Salvanches because I do not love 
Mile. Grandfief." 

"Indeed! — and perhaps your heart is bestowed 
elsewhere; is it not so? I know in advance all 
the folly you would relate to me; but since you 
had that whim in your head, why did you act so 
hypocritically at Salvanches, at the risk of mak- 
ing me play the role of Cassander in an honora- 
ble family?" 

"Pardon me, sir; when I followed you into the 
Grandfief house, my heart was free. I believe 
that I acted honorably when I disengaged my- 
self as soon as I felt that I loved another." 

"Yes, an intriga?ite whom you have followed 
like a bird to a snare. And now what is it you 
propose to do?" 

"To marry Mile. Laheyrard after obtaining your 
consent. " 

"And if I refuse?" 


135 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 

“I shall wait.” 

"You will wait! What!" cried M. de Seign- 
eulles, furious. "Until you are twenty-five years 
of age when you can send me legal summons? 
Am I dreaming? Are you bereft of all religion 
— of all respect for parental authority? Sum- 
mons to me! Have you then become so poisoned 
with revolutionary gangrene that you have lost 
all regard for yourself and others?” 

For the first time Gerard dared to lift his eyes 
to his father. 

"I have said that I would wait,” he replied in 
a firm voice, "because I know that you are a just 
man. Seeing my patience and respectful persist- 
ence you will be convinced that it is a serious 
affection; and you will not break two hearts 
that wish only to love you." 

"Sentimental gush, nothing more! No, sir, you 
shall not put my patience to the test, and I will 
never consent to such a foolish marriage. If my 
ways are not agreeable to you, you may leave my 
house instantly. I will give you your portion, 
and you may live far away from me like a prodi- 
gal son.” 

The Chevalier stopped in the middle of his 
harangue, fearing that he would be taken at his 
word ; his natural sense of propriety, and the 
Lorraine prudence reappeared. 


136 


THE M/1RRIAGE OF GERARD 


“Morbleu! ” he cried, "and if you resort to 
that extremity, you will take with you my solemn 
malediction! ” 

Gerard had become very pale, and was so agi- 
tated that he could not speak. 

"I give you one month to reflect," added the 
Chevalier hastily; "but as I do not love scandals, 
you must make your reflections elsewhere than 
at Juvigny." 

He raised the window violently, and called out 
to Baptiste to harness Bruno to the dog-cart. 
Then turning to his son, he said: 

"Baptiste will drive you immediately to Grange- 
Allard, where you will have the pleasure of spend- 
ing several weeks; there you may be able to cool 
down to the proper degree." 

At the thought of leaving before seeing Helene, 
who was even then awaiting him, his whole soul 
revolted; his eyes sparkled with tears of indig- 
nation, but it was not in vain that he had passed 
six years at the college of the Jesuits at Metz. 
He had breathed there an atmosphere impregnated 
with discreet reserve and silent capitulations, 
and he had involuntarily acquired the habit of 
submission, wherein the body was more con- 
cerned than the mind. 

"Very well, sir," he replied, bowing, "I will 
obey you." 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


137 


"Go, make your preparations," said the inflexi- 
ble Chevalier, "for you start in a half-hour." 

In just thirty minutes, Bruno, vigorously lashed 
by the taciturn Baptiste, was trotting briskly 
along the road to Grange-Allard; but when 
they were in sight of the forest of Jur^, Gerard 
brusquely took the reins into his own hands, 
and suddenly brought the vehicle to a stand-still. 

Then springing out onto the road, he said to 
Baptiste: 

"You go on in the direction of the farm. As 
for me, I have business at Juvigny, and I must 
return there.” 

"Monsieur Gerard!" cried the frightened Bap- 
tiste, "this is not right! You will be the cause 
of the Chevalier discharging me." 

"My father will never know of it and I promise 
you to be at the farm before midnight," said 
the young man imperiously. 

He turned on his heels and entered the woods, 
leaving the paternal vehicle trotting solemnly 
along in the direction of Grange-Allard. 

Gerard had felt all along that he must see 
Helene that very day, to tell her of the sad issue 
of his interview with his father and to swear to 
her that his heart would never change. He wan- 
dered about in the thickets till nearly dusk, but as 


138 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


soon as the twilight had overshadowed the vine- 
yards of Juvigny, he descended rapidly toward 
Palval, and entered the garden of the Laheyrards 
by the gate of the vineyard. A light that blazed 
through a window on the lower floor increased 
his courage, and he walked along cautiously be- 
hind the hedge of elm-trees. 

In the studio, near the lamp, Helene sat with 
reddened eyes and a sad face, her head leaning 
on her hands, her elbows on the table. She was 
not alone. Madame Laheyrard was pacing the 
floor; her animated gestures and the irritated 
accents of her voice indicated that her nerves 
had been upset by disagreeable news. 

“Did you ever hear of anything like it!” she 
exclaimed; “the idea of his sending me such a 
message by the Abb^ Valland! As if I did not 
know how to take care of my daughter! Oh! the 
insufferable people of this miserable town! ” 

Just then Gerard appeared in the embrasure 
of the window which opened to the floor. Helene 
uttered a cry of surprise, but the indignation of 
Madame Laheyrard increased when she perceived 
him. With an air of affected dignity and with 
ill-concealed spite, she advanced toward the 
young man who stammered his embarrassed ex- 


cuses. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


139 


“Monsieur de Seigneulles," she said, “you 
would oblige me, when you enter my house, by 
using the street-door like everyone else, and you 
will please me by never entering it any way. 
I find that your father accuses me of enticing 
you into my house. Why should he think that 
I wish to monopolize you? That's indeed very 
presumptuous on his part. If he will only attend 
to his son, I will take care of my daughter. I 
forbid Helene receiving you hereafter — " 

After many vain attempts to interrupt this 
flow of words, Gerard was about to reply, when 
Helene, with a look of tender entreaty, made 
him a sign to withdraw. Returning her look 
with one full of passionate love, he bowed 
silently and left the room, redescending the steps 
into the garden, while Madame Laheyrard closed 
brusquely behind him the glass door 


XII 

Gerard, stunned like a man who has received 
a violent blow on the head, staggered along the 
broad garden walk. Although unable to collect 
his thoughts, he felt a confused sense of com- 
plete disaster. 

Reaching the vineyard gate, he stopped a 
moment to inhale the perfume of the roses and 
mignonette that he loved so well, and then de- 
scending the vineyard slope, he trudged along 
until he had climbed to the summit of the hill op- 
posite the town. Leaning against a heap of moss- 
covered stones, he contemplated, with a mournful 
air, the row of ancient houses of the upper 
town. In the distance, between the orchard 
boughs, the light from Helene^ s studio greeted 
him as if with a melancholy adieu. His throat 
contracted, his eyes grew moist, and a sob issued 
from his lips. It was his first great grief. 
Compared with this sudden misfortune, the 
140 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 141 

troubles of his student life, and the ennui of his 
solitary youth appeared to him no worse than 
the unpleasant prickings of a pin. 

The clock struck ten. He remembered his 
promise to Baptiste and hastened into the forest. 
Darkness imparted to the woods a strange and 
peculiar physiognomy. 

During the day, when traversed by the rays of 
the sun, ringing with songs of birds and cheer- 
ful with the hum of human voices, those lofty 
trees seemed to confound themselves with all 
these things; but when abandoned to the silence 
and darkness of night, all was changed. 

In their deep shadows, a thousand noises, im- 
perceptible in the luminous hours of the day, 
became distinct, and one could hear the shiver- 
ing of the trembling, nervous leaves, the rust- 
ling of the ferns straightening their delicate 
fronds refreshed by the dewdrops, the muffled 
sound of the acorn falling to the mossy earth, 
and the feeble murmur of the tiny rivulet, filter- 
ing, drop by drop, among the roots — all of these 
voices uniting in pne deep, penetrating harmony. 

As Gerard hurried on through the forest, the 
image of Helene never left him; in his memory 
were revived every word, every gesture, every 
varying expression of her mobile, spiritual face. 


142 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


The soughing of the wind through the pines re- 
called to him the music of the ball at Salvanches, 
and he could see her turning lightly under the 
brilliant light of the chandeliers, her eyes aglow, 
her lips smiling, and her tasteful gown clinging 
to her exquisite form; or, seated at the piano 
singing in her clear, bird-like voice the song of 
the Ramiers'. 

“Dans les chemins creux, 

Leur chanson vagabonde 

Semble la voix profonde 
Des printemps amoureux. 

Tout le long du jour. 

Sous les feuilles nouvelles. 

Viens, parlous d’amour, 

Au chant des tourterelles. 

D’aimer et d’etre aime 
Void I’heure. 

Contre mon coeur charme 
Ah! demeure. 

Mignonne, est-il rose qui fleure 

Mieux que 1’ amour, 1’ amour au mois de mai?’’ 

Alas! that night, in the depth of the forest, it 
was not the amorous voice of the ring-dove that 
resounded; only the funereal plaint of the owl, 
rising at intervals like the despairing appeal of 
a lost child, echoing from tree to tree, then los- 
ing itself in the receding gloom of the forest. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


143 


As he crossed the dismal path, the little crick- 
ets in the herbs chirped shrilly, suddenly break- 
ing the silence, and Gerard imagined that he 
could hear the voice of his vanishing happiness 
crying out behind him: “I shall never return; 
Never! Never!” 

He pressed onward; the darkness oppressed 
him, and ere long he saw, shining beyond the 
trees and hedges, in the light of the rising 
moon, the roofs of cottages vaguely defined 
against the sky, and the sonorous barking of 
the dogs reverberated in the woods. 

"Is that you. Monsieur Gerard?" suddenly 
cried out an anxious voice. 

Gerard started, but soon recognized the tac- 
iturn Baptiste, standing sentinel in front of the 
farm stables. 

"The Chevalier has not seen you, I hope," 
he continued, "otherwise he will rate me sound- 
ly, for I should have been on my way back three 
hours ago. Goodnight!” 

Gerard gained his chamber by feeling his 
way in the dark; then went to bed, but did not 
fall asleep until nearly daybreak. He awoke at 
ten o’clock next morning with the confused sen- 
sation of a heavy load pressing on his heart and 
brain. He rubbed his eyes, hardly knowing 


144 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


where he was, but from his surroundings he soon 
realized that he was at Grange-Allard, and then 
he comprehended the anguish that filled his 
breast. 

The hours of the first day of his exile dragged 
along as heavy as lead, and toward evening, no 
longer able to stand it, he walked two leagues 
through the woods to contemplate from afar the 
spire of Saint-Etienne, and the grove of Paquis, 
returning at dusk weary and depressed, going to 
bed without his supper. 

The next day, the same programme. The third 
day, early in the morning, he buckled on his 
gaiters and following a beaten path he gained a 
plateau of vines facing the gardens of the upper 
town. He climbed a wild pear-tree and armed 
with a field-glass, from this improvised observa- 
tory he explored the surrounding country. A 
line of purple shadows marked the site of the 
gorge of Palval, then the ground rose almost to 
the verdant slopes that formed the garden ter- 
races of upper Juvigny. There, amid the trees, 
he could see the ancient houses of the Rue du 
Tribel, with their trellises, their arbors gar- 
landed with clematis; and there gray facades 
pierced with windows glared with tiny panes. 

He could even distinguish the colors in the 


THE M/1RRIAGE OF GERARD 


145 


masses of dahlias, and the undulations of the 
curtains fluttering through the open windows. 
He could see distinctly the house of the In- 
spector, and he could not take his eyes from it. 
It was midday; the bell of Saint-Etienne slowly 
sounded the Angelus; then the great bell of the 
clock announced the dinner hour to the work- 
men at the factories. A white form suddenly ap- 
peared on the stone steps near the mulbery tree 
in the Laheyrard garden. 

The young man^s heart beat wildly and the 
glasses trembled in his hand. Soon the two 
children appeared, then Marius Laheyrard. The 
white apparition slowly descended the flight of 
steps, the others followed, and they all disap- 
peared behind the fruit trees. 

Gerard’s face became sorrowful, but before he 
had time to wipe the glasses of the lorgnette the 
four figures reappeared at the gate of the vine- 
yard. It was certainly Helene; he could see 
distinctly her straw hat trimmed with cherry 
ribbon, her box of paints carried by Marius, and 
the great nets with which to ensnare butter- 
flies, brandished by Tonton and Benjamin. 
Without a doubt she was going to paint in the 
country. The little party took the path lead- 

The Marriage of Gerard i o 


146 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


ing from the vineyards and soon disappeared 
anew into the depths of Palval. 

Gerard remained in the tree, waiting; he had 
a presentiment that this was not the end. In 
about a quarter of an hour, he saw emerging 
from the vine branches far below him, first the 
butterfly nets; then the broad felt hat of Mari- 
us; then a bright dress of ecru linen. 

They climbed through the vines to reach the 
forest in the direction of a very picturesque val- 
ley, known in the country as Fond d^Enfer. Gerard 
remembered that Helene had often expressed a 
desire to paint a study, near a patriarchal beech- 
tree that threw its great shadow over the bottom 
of the valley, and whose powerful roots were wa- 
tered by a limpid stream. He had a violent de- 
sire to meet the young girl as soon as possible, and 
he decided to profit by this favorable opportu- 
nity. He slipped down to the foot of the tree and 
started in the direction of the valley, threading 
his way slowly, with the minute precautions of a 
Mohican who creeps through the virgin forest. 

He was not mistaken, for Mile. Laheyrard and 
her party followed the winding path that ran like 
a green ribbon almost to the heart of the valley. 
When they reached the banks of the stream, Ma- 
rius deposited the box of paints and the folding 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


147 


chair at the foot of the ancieot beech, then 
wiped his brow. 

“Now then,’’ he said, “au revoir; amuse your- 
self, for I intend to push on nearly to Savon- 
niere in order to compose at my ease a sonnet 
in honor of the incomparable Beauty who has 
wounded my heart. For," continued he, observ- 
ing a smile on the lips of Helene, “I am terri- 
bly smitten with love, and I pray that the help 
ful stars may soften the rigors of a barbarous 
father, and soon shine on the day that will unite 
our destinies." 

He withdrew, declaiming in a resounding voice, 
these XV. century verses by Th^ophile de Viau: 

Ce jour sera file de sole, 

Le soleil partout ou j’irai 
Laissera quand je passerai 
Des ombrages dessus ma voie; 

Les dieux, a mon sort complaisants, 

Mecombleront de leurs presents, 

J’aurai tout mon soul d’ambroisie. 

The children, following the course of the 
stream, chased the great butterflies, nacres and 
vulcains, that floated under the branches of the 
beech trees. After dipping her fingers into the 
water and untying her hat, Helene sat down be- 
fore her canvas and prepared her palette. 


148 


THE MHRRMGE OF GERARD 


For a long time she remained thoughtful, her 
large eyes fixed on space. Yet the landscape was 
all that an artist could desire. Deep and broad, 
the valley widened gently its woody side whereon 
all the colors of the foliage, from the metallic 
green of the oak to the pale green of the willows, 
mingled harmoniously. One side of the valley 
was plunged in purple shadows; a single ray of 
sunlight penetrating the thick foliage of the 
great beech, like a silvery vapor, made the som- 
ber mirror of the stream sparkle with a thou- 
sand luminous drops. The opposite side, on the 
contrary, was brilliantly illuminated; beyond a 
curtain of willows one could see gleaming, a 
corner of the winding road, a bit of meadow, and 
a row of shivering poplars. The only sounds to 
break the silence of that solitude were the flute- 
like sighs of the streamlet, and the laughter of 
the children, growing fainter and fainter in the 
distance. 

Helene, her brush in her hand, continued her 
musings, and her face, so spiritually gay when 
animated, had at that moment an expression of 
mournful sadness. Although striving to oblit- 
erate the persistent image that haunted her 
thoughts, she dreamed only of Gerard. 

Since her lover’s abrupt leave-taking, she had 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


149 


sworn a hundred times to forget that foolish fort- 
night and to become once more a reasonable girl. 
She would say to herself that Gerard was too 
young, and M. de Seigneulles too proud, and that, 
after all, it was nothing more than a passing flir- 
tation. Still the thought of him continued to fill 
her mind, intruding itself each day more despotic- 
ally. That night, at the ball, Helene had given 
him her heart, and she felt that it would make 
him suffer too much to take it back again. She 
drew a little stifled sigh and tossed back her long 
blonde ringlets ; her melancholy eyes suddenly as- 
sumed the crystal depths of the waters of the 
rivulet, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She 
wiped it away with an impatient gesture, then 
seizing her palette she began to work resolutely. 

As she was trying to reproduce upon the can- 
vas the various hues of the foliage, the noise 
of branches stirring close to her made her turn 
her head. She uttered a cry and turned very 
pale; there was Gerard standing before her. 

“You are surprised to see me?" he said. 

She shook her head and a smile flashed from 
her lips to her moist eyes. He advanced and 
knelt at her feet on the mossy ground. 

“Do not scold me,” he said, with the air of a 
school-boy taken in fault. 


150 


THE M/iRRIAGE OF GERARD 


"No, I will not scold you," she replied softly. 
"Why should I not tell you the truth? I was 
thinking of you." 

"Truly?" 

"I was so sorry to have you leave me the other 
evening without one word of excuse or consola- 
tion! You must not be offended with my mother; 
Abb^ Valland’s lecture excited her so much! 
but she is a good woman at heart, even though 
her tongue moves too quickly." 

"Oh!" he said, charmed, "I am not offended 
with her; I am only suffering at being condemned 
to see you no more." 

"And now that you have seen me you must go 
away quickly. What would they say if they sur- 
prised you here? It would be enough to make the 
tower of the clock fall over backward, and to 
cause M. de Seigneulles to lose his mind." 

"You know," sighed Gerard, "that I am in 
exile at the farm?" 

Helene could not refrain from laughing. 

"On bread and water perhaps! What a man 
your father is! He makes me tremble." 

Gerard talked on, and made no movement to 
go. Helene turned her head half-way, towards 
the place where he was kneeling. 

"Go," she said, holding out her hand to him. 
“Adieu!" 


THE M^RRMGE OF GERARD 


151 


He pressed her fingers and held them im- 
prisoned tenderly within his own. For a moment 
they looked into each other’s eyes, and then she 
brusquely withdrew her hand. 

"You must leave me,” she said in a voice less 
firm. 

"Not yet," he entreated;" let me first tell you 
how much I love you." 

Helene’s eyes became very serious as she 
looked into the earnest blue eyes of Gerard. 

"In my turn,” she said, "I will ask you if you 
are speaking truly?” 

And as Gerard hastened to assure her of his 
sincerity, she placed her hand gently on his 
shoulder. 

"Listen," she said, "I am not like the other 
young girls of Juvigny; I have not been taught 
from my cradle to weigh my words to see if they 
are always proper and conventional. I speak as I 
think, and act as I speak, impulsively and sincere- 
ly. Are you sure, in the depths of your heart, that 
you love me? If you tell me that you do, I will 
believe you; but do not speak thoughtlessly, for 
if you should deceive me I would suffer greatly. " 

"I love you, I love you!" he repeated passion- 
ately; "and my life belongs to you." 

She lowered her head. "Tell me,” she said, "all 


152 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


that has happened to you since our last evening 
together. ’’ 

Gerard then related to her his sufferings, while 
she worked, a little nervously, on her sketch. 

It was so pleasant there in the shady solitude. 
Blue and brown libellulas fluttered about the 
aquatic herbs, and the perfume of the meadow- 
sweet embalmed the air. But the moments flew 
more swiftly than the libellulas — more delicate- 
ly, to their enthralled senses, than the odor of the 
meadow-sweet. And as they talked, Gerard plucked 
from the edge of the stream, purple willow, mint, 
and centaury roses, and tossed them into Helene’s 
lap. "Well, I must say you are comfortable, 
young folks!” cried a stentorian voice that made 
them tremble. 

It was Marius who appeared suddenly, parting 
the branches of the willows, laughing like a faun 
in his long blonde beard. Helene pouted, and 
Gerard rose from the ground, blushing as red as 
a poppy. 

"Why do you blush, young Daphnis?” contin- 
ued the poet; "do you take me for a jealous 
Cyclop, or a ferocious brother? I am acquainted 
with the pangs of love, and can sympathize with 
you. I always take the part of unhappy lovers 
against tutors and fathers.” 








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THE M/IRRMGE OF GERARD 


153 


"Marius, hush your nonsense,” cried Helene^ 
impatiently. 

"By Smintheus Apollo!" he exclaimed, "I am 
speaking seriously — Gerard loves you; his father 
tyrannizes over him, and Madame Laheyrard for- 
bids you to receive him. I am on the side of 
youthful lovers against their ancestors; you may 
count on me. Friend Gerard, you are a gallant 
fellow and intend to marry my sister; do you not?" 

"That is my wish, my most ardent, my only 
hope," replied Gerard, gravely. 

"Agreed!" cried Marius extending his hand. 
"We will bring the old folks to reason, and ere 
long we will be singing '‘Hymen O Hy77iinie! 

Helene's face had become crimson. "It is late,” 
said she arising, "and we must go.” 

"You will permit me to see you here again?" 
hazarded Gerard timidly. 

"I do not know,” she murmured, hesitating, 
regarding alternately her brother and young 
Seigneulles. 

"And why not?” exclaimed Marius impetuous- 
ly. "Will I not be here, and is not that suffi- 
cient? ” 

They pressed each other’s hands, and Gerard 
was soon wending his way to the farm with a light 
and happy heart. 


XIII 

After that meeting, Helene and Gerard returned 
more than once to Fond d’Enfer; Marius accom- 
panied his sister regularly, but he was a most 
convenient chaperon, for on reaching the banks of 
the stream he would leave the lovers there while 
he repaired to the inn at Savonniere. Even when 
the first of September arrived, he renounced al- 
together the role of mentor to join a shooting 
party. Helene and Gerard were thus abandoned 
to themselves; but the habit was so strong, so 
sweet, that they had not the courage to break it. 
This rendezvous was to them the only thing in- 
teresting in life. 

The purity of her love and the rectitude of her 
heart took away from Helene all fear of public 
opinion, which, after all, is at the bottom of 
more than half of the conventionality of the peo- 
ple of the world. She knew nothing of those pru- 
dent capitulations, of that cunning cleverness, 
154 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


155 


with which the inhabitants of small towns guard 
against each other. 

In love, the Parisian, in spite of her superficial 
skepticism and apparent frivolity, acts more nat- 
urally and ingenuously than the provincial. Hel 
ene had faith in the love of Gerard, and in going 
to meet him at Fond d’ Enfer, she knew that in 
the eyes of the world she was acting imprudent- 
ly; but in her conscience she did not feel guilty. 
If one had sounded the hearts of the two young 
people one would certainly have found more scru- 
ples in the timid spirit of Gerard than in the firm 
and chastely passionate soul of the young girl. 

Autumn advanced. September and the holidays 
had revived a pleasure for which the bourgeois 
of Juvigny have a lively taste — the snaring of 
small birds. In this forest country, there is not 
a landlord who does not make two or three hun- 
dred traps of supple, elastic hazel twigs and 
put them along the paths of his coppice. To 
these traps come the robin-redbreasts, sparrows, 
chaffinches, and linnets; and the natives experi- 
ence great joy in making the round ever> morning 
to gather up the victims. 

Now it happened that, towards the end of Sep- 
tember, the owner of certain woods, whose sons 
were intimately acquainted with Marius, profiting 


150 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


by the holidays, formed a hunting-party to end 
in a bountiful breakfast in the forest of Jur6. 
To enliven the feast some of the ladies were in- 
vited to join their husbands, among whom 
Madame Grandfief, whose liege lord was a ram- 
pant Nimrod. Naturally, Marius was one of the 
party, for he was very popular on account of his 
high spirits and gayety. In spite of his eccentric- 
ities and his habit of reciting original sonnets 
after dessert, he was regarded as a convivial fel- 
low, and was invited to all pleasure parties. 

That morning they were en route at daybreak. 
After following the chase for several hours, 
they assembled in the woods, where a long table 
was spread under the great trees. Marius selected 
him a place opposite Madame Grandfief, who had 
left Georgette at home, not wishing to expose the 
chaste ears of her daughter to the somewhat 
broad jokes of a hunting breakfast. She replied 
to Marius’ bow with a frigid nod, and assumed 
so majestic an attitude that young Laheyrard 
hastened to flee from that haughty glance that 
threatened to take away his appetite. His e 3 ^es 
were compensated in contemplating the joyous 
aspect of the table, where an appetizing display 
of pastry, ham and lobster was spread out be- 
tween two rows of bottles and glasses. When 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


157 


they served the mutton roast, a la ficelle^ the heart 
of the poet expanded. On either side of him was a 
rustic hunter with manners naive and outspoken. 
The apparent simplicity of these two peaceable 
bourgeois, tempted Marius, and he promised him- 
self to enliven his breakfast by drawing out the 
two honest Philistines. As soon as his plate was 
helped to a succulent chop, he opened a bottle 
of wine, refilled his own glass and those of 
his neighbors. 

"Let us try this claret," he exclaimed, "for I 
have, like Saint-Amand, one of those thirsty 
throats that nothing ever quenches: 

" ' Lc jour que je naquis, il dut pleuvoir du selF " 

"Do you defy our country wine. Monsieur?" 
replied his neighbor on the right; "it looks in- 
nocent, but it is wicked at heart, and as heady 
as the devil." 

"Wicked? this innocent milk! Here’s to you!" 
retorted Marius, disdainfully emptying his glass. 

"I will have you know, my dear sirs, that the 
blood of the grape is not strong enough to trouble 
the serenity of my brain. It would take the 
opium of the Chinese, the hasheesh of the In- 
dians and the raki of the Polynesians to intoxicate 
me!" 

"That’s different!” said the rustic, with that 


158 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


silly laugh under which the country man hides his 
malice and finesse. At the same time he winked 
significantly, behind the poet’s back, to his 
companion. 

Marius continued brilliantly talkative, while 
devouring his mutton and drinking copiously. 

"You see,” he continued, "two or three glasses 
of wine would upset the nervous equilibrium of 
those easy-going folks who spend their lives 
sheep-raising; but artists, and people who are 
used to the tempests of thought, they laugh 
at drunkenness. We soar in the storm like the 
albatross.” 

"That is to say,” sneered his interlocutor, 
"that you take to wine like a fish to water.” 

' Well spoken, honest fellow!” cried Marius, 
"and for your pains pour me out another bumper. 
Pour boldly an overflowing glass; and then to your 
health!” 

The loud bursts of laughter of the convivial 
guests, the clinking of glasses, an 1 the rattling 
of the knives and forks, to say nothing of the 
noisy applause that greeted the fabulous stories 
of the hunters, drowned this conversation. 

The tipsy poet, pressed by his neighbors, who 
did not allow his glass to remain empty, became 
more loquacious as the tumult around the table 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


159 


increased. Bizarre comparisons, strange images, 
and lyrical invocations fell from his lips, mingled 
with Rabelaisian memories. 

“By Zeus! ” he cried suddenly, “I believe you 
will offer me the decanter next! A plague upon 
that muddy wine! Will you not take with me a 
drink of water like my noble friend, Gerard de 
Seigneulles? ” 

“M. Gerard;’’ exclaimed his neighbor on the 
right. “I thought he would be here, but I do not 
see him anywhere.’’ 

“His father has put him in quarantine at 
Grange-Allard, ’’ responded the neighbor on the 
left, who was a notary in the village adjoining the 
farm. “I hear that the young man^s heart is too 
inflammable and that M. de Seigneulles has sent 
him to the country to calm it down, as one puts 
wine into a cellar to cool it.’’ 

“Ha! ha!" laughed Marius, heartily. 

“Why are you amused, young man?" 

“I laugh," replied the poet, “to think how 
love scorns the threats of parents and dungeon 
walls. ’’ 

The notary winked anew to the other, as much 
as to say that he would adroitly make the poet 
commit. 

“What!" said he, “do you pretend to say that 


160 


THE My^RRIAGE OF GERHRD 


young de Seigneulles is not at Grange- Allard?’* 
“He is; and he is not,” responded Marius with 
a comical air of mystery. He was suddenly con- 
scious of the cold gaze of Madame Grandfief 
fixed upon him, and it recalled him partially to 
his senses. “Pshaw!” he continued, “you wish 
to make me tattle; but I am as silent as the 
grave; I will not tell in what verdant corner of 
the forest, Endymion goes to find the Diana of 
his dreams. Let us drink!" 

They had uncorked the champagne and the 
foaming beverage sparkled in the glasses 

“To your health, young man,” said the notary, 
“but you must not tell us such fibs. It is very 
far from the farm to Juvigny, and what lover 
would walk three leagues there, and three 
leagues back to warble plaintively under the 
window of his Dulcinea?" 

“What do you know about it?” retorted Ma- 
rius, irritated at the contradiction. “You speak 
like a freshman. Nothing is impossible to lov- 
ers. The woods offer their leafy solitude and the 
Fond d’Enfer has beech-trees dense enough to 
keep the words of lovers from the ears of gos- 
sips. " 

He believed that he was speaking in an under- 
tone, but like all people when wine loosens their 


THE M^RRMGE OF GERARD 


161 


tongues, he spoke in a loud tone and his words 
rose above the uproar of the other voices. 

Madame Grandfief, seated not far from him, 
fixed her eyes upon Marius and did not lose a 
word of his discourse. 

“You believe then that they meet at Fond 
d^Enfer?” insidiously questioned the notary. 

“Who has spoken of Fond d’Enfer?” stam- 
mered Marius. “A notary is as stubborn as a 
mule; you are trying to draw me out with your 
pretended ignorance. But I have said nothing, 
and I will say nothing. Trust me to keep silent; 
friendship to me is sacred. I drink to the God- 
dess Muta. I drink to the Olympian, poetic 
silence of the forests!” 

At this moment Marius had only a confused 
perception of things, but through the mist of 
drunkenness the two gleaming eyes of Madame 
Grandfief affected him like the gaze of a serpent 
that charms a bird. 

After dessert, someone arose to sing a song; at 
that moment Marius, attempting to change his 
place, stumbled and fell heavily to the grass,amid 
bursts of laughter, and he had a vague idea that 
he was the cause of such noisy merriment. 

“The legs may be weak, but the head is 
sound, ’ said he. 

The Marriage oj Gerard ii 


162 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


Notwithstanding his resistance, he felt himself 
lifted up by two compassionate arms, and con- 
veyed to a carriage which was soon rolling rap- 
idly in the direction of Juvigny, while it seemed 
to Marius that the branches of the trees were 
blown furiously about in a terrible wind. At 
last the carriage stopped before the house of the 
Inspector, and the poet was lifted out by those 
same indulgent arms and carried to his room, 
where they laid him, without undressing him, 
upon his bachelor bed. The furniture seemed 
to be whirling around with a rapidity that made 
him dizzy; he closed his eyes, and lost con- 
sciousness. 


XIV 

The crowd was so animated and noisy that the 
mishap of Marius was hardly noticed. Coffee 
was served and heads became cooler. The ladies 
left the table and went to sit on the green sward, 
and, ere long, there were only left around the 
table the older hunters, smoking their pipes and 
relating to each other their exploits of former 
days, with that boastful familiarity begotten by 
a copious breakfast. The younger men formed 
a circle on the grass not far from the ladies. 
Madame Grandfief, who had been thoughtful and 
reserved for some time, seemed suddenly to 
thaw. Her countenance became cheerful and her 
eyes shone with unaffected gayety. It was she 
who proposed a suitable diversion for all those 
excited brains and restless feet. 

“Choose a route,” she said, “and let us make 
the Porte de Saint-Nicolas," 

The Porte de Samt- Nicolas is a game well-known 
163 


164 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


in Lorraine. The players join hands, forming a 
long chain, each link being represented alternate- 
ly by a dame and a cavalier. The two leaders 
standing at the head, lift their joined hands to 
form an arch. “Is the Porte de Saint-Nicolas open? ’’ 
cry in chorus the rest of the band, and on being 
answered in the affirmative the whole file passes 
rapidly under the improvised arch, singing the 
air of a rondeau. The couple at the extreme 
end then takes the lead, forming the arch in 
their turn, and the long garland winds and un- 
winds itself as they dance merrily along. 

The proposition from the wife of the iron- 
master was received with enthusiasm ; they all 
began to discuss in what direction they should 
go. Some one suggested the Metre de la Fierge, 
another the Ermitage de Saint-Roch. 

“No,” said Madame Grandfief in a tone of 
command, “we will go to Fond d'Enfer; that 
road is far more beautiful.” 

Joining hands, the air of the rondeau rang out, 
and the long chain was soon gracefully in motion, 
following the sinuosities of the way like a joy- 
ous farandole. The waving arms, the restless 
feet, the floating petticoats fluttering lightly in 
the breeze, the rippling laughter — ere long the 
merry band had entirely disappeared under the 
branches of the trees. 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


165 


It was nearly midday. Under the beech trees 
of Fond d’Eiifer, near the rushing streamlet, Hel- 
ene and Gerard had met as usual. Although she 
had arranged her canvas and selected her brushes, 
the young girl had scarcely touched them; she 
contemplated, with an air of melancholy, the 
flight of the first autumn leaves as they fell 
softly into the water. 

“You are serious," said Gerard; “of what are 
you thinking?" 

“Of ourselves," she replied gravely. 

“Does that make you sad! Are we not happy?" 

“How long shall we be so? I have a present- 
iment that people suspect us, that they are 
watching us. The other evening, after you left 
me, I met that little seamstress, Reine Lecomte, 
and from the manner in which she scanned me, 
I believe that she suspects something." 

“Then you regret that you have come." 

“No,” she replied quickly, “if I had a fear it 
was for you. I thought of my father, who is so 
kind and trusting, and how compromising would 
be the discovery of our rendezvous.” 

“You are right,” sighed Gerard, “and I am 
very selfish; ” and he became serious and thought- 
ful in his turn. 

“This state of things cannot last much longer," 


166 


THE MHRRMGE OF GERARD 


he exclaimed with passion. “I love you, and I 
am my own master. I will make my father 
listen to reason.” 

Helene opened her great brown eyes with a 
look half-incredulous, half-questioning. 

”I will again beg his consent,” said Gerard, 
“and if he is inflexible, I will leave the house 
forever." 

The young girl lifted her head and a smile 
came to her lips. 

"From what you have told me, he will allow 
you to depart. What then?” 

"I shall wait until I am twenty-five, and then 
I will send him legal summons.” 

Helene frowned. 

"It is I who shall then refuse,” she retorted 
proudly; "I will never enter a family where the 
head of the house spurns me.” 

Gerard looked so wounded and disheartened, 
that Helene was instantly touched and forced 
herself to smile cheerfully. She laid her hand 
upon his. 

"Let us think no more of sad things,” she 
said. "What good will it do to lose our after- 
noon in tormenting ourselves. Look how beau- 
tiful is the valley in the lengthening shadows! 
It is glorious here. I wish to drink in every 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


167 


aspect of this country that I may never forget 
it." 

Her eyes gazed at the woody hills whereon 
the shadows descended in great masses above the 
wild vines full of berries, close to which the 
pretty-by-nights were already opening their blos- 
soms. 

In the meantime, Gerard had not relinquished 
her hand. In the drowsy calm of that fading 
autumn afternoon they sat there silent, with 
clasped hands, unresistingly yielding to the ener- 
vating languor, the seductive, voluptuous intox- 
ication of that dreamy September day. Their 
lips were speechless, but their eyes met spell- 
bound, in long, passionate glances; their hearts 
beat excitedly and the palms of their hands 
seemed to have grown together. 

Suddenly, in the distance, shrill voices and 
fragments of song disturbed the peace of that 
charmed solitude. At this season of the year 
these joyous sounds from the depths of the woods 
were so natural that the two lovers did not no- 
tice them. 

The silence of the forest was broken only by 
the soft notes of a robin-red-breast. 

Helene^ s brown eyes drew Gerard like a mag- 
net; he inclined his head toward her lovely face, 


1C8 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


and allured by that magnetic glance, he was press- 
ing upon her lips, for the first time, a kiss, when 
a noisy burst of voices suspended brusquely that 
delicious caress — and suddenly from behind the 
hills the long chain of the Porte de Saint-Nicolas 
descended tumultuously almost to the bottom of 
the valley, Madame Grandfief leading them. 

It was like a thunderbolt — so quick and so 
dreadful — the two young people had hardly time 
to think before the joyous band was scattered 
along the banks of the stream. Songs and laugh- 
ter succeeded the sweet, solemn silence. Every- 
one had recognized the two lovers. Helene, 
blushing with confusion, hurriedly resumed her 
sketch, while Gerard, who had arisen, stood near 
her, very pale and with compressed lips. The 
new-comers, to whom this meeting was unex- 
pected, were equally embarrassed. Madame 
Grandfief alone did not lose her sang froid. She 
passed the unfortunate Gerard without deigning 
to look at him; then addressing Helene with a 
politely ironical air, she said mercilessly: 

“We have disturbed you, it seems;” and glanc- 
ing at the canvas upon which there was hardly 
a stroke of the brush, she added: “What a lovely 
sketch you are painting here, mademoiselle!” 

And withdrawing from Helene’s side, she re- 
turned to her companions, saying: 







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X, * 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


IfiO 


"Let us continue our walk, and leave Mile. 
Laheyrard to her occupations." 

She directed her steps toward a beaten path 
that led through the woods, and the others fol- 
lowed her, not without throwing malicious glances 
at the two culprits. As soon as they wese hid- 
den from view by the undergrowth and the 
branches of the trees, they all began to laugh 
and sneer aloud, and the breeze bore to Helene’,s 
ears these cruel words, spoken by Madame Grand- 
fief: "Bah! this is a fortunate incident for her — 
it will compromise her, and she will have a pre- 
text to make him marry her!" 

Gradually their boisterous voices grew fainter 
in the distance, and once more silence reigned 
in the valley. One could only hear the murmur- 
ing of the stream and the soft warblings of the 
red-breast, who, after a moment of fright, had 
bravely resumed its song. At last Gerard dared 
to look at Helene, who sat motionless, her face 
buried in her hands. He was frightened at her 
tragic expression and attitude, and a groan 
escaped his lips. 

"Ah!" exclaimed the young girl, "I believe that 
I am ruined! " 

"And it is I who have brought this sorrow 
upon you," he cried, wringing his hands. "That 


170 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


miserable woman is revenging herself upon me 
for refusing her daughter.” 

He walked up and down on the banks of the 
stream, cursing Madame Grandfief, stammering 
incoherent words, completely distracted. 

“What will become of us?” he said finally; 
"to-morrow the whole town will know all, and 
my father shall never pardon me!” 

Helene discerned vaguely that Gerard had a 
horrible fear of the Chevalier, a terror which de- 
prived him of all liberty of thought, and she felt 
that she must have courage for them both. She 
arose and began to collect her painting materials. 

"We must part!" she said sadly, "and you 
must return to the farm, and must promise me 
not to leave it for several days.” 

"Bury myself there without news of you! 
never!” exclaimed Gerard. "I will return to 
Juvigny and face the storm.” 

"I forbid you !" cried Helene in a resolute tone; 
"your haste will spoil all. Obey me, if you love 
me. Make yourself forgotten for a few days — 
till Marius writes to you. Adieu! think of me!” 
She pressed his hand, and turning, started off 
rapidly in the direction of Juvigny. 

"Helene! ” he cried, broken-hearted; but she 
would not listen, and soon her white dress dis- 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


171 


appeared behind the foliage of the winding path- 
way. 

When she reached home, she entered the house 
by the shortest way, and found the whole family 
upset by the misadventure of Marius. Tonton and 
Benjamin related to her how their brother had 
returned from the champetre breakfast, and how 
he had to be carried up to his room; but Helene 
was too agitated to lend an attentive ear to the 
gossip of the children. 

During dinner time, she remained silent, 
hardly daring to lift her eyes to M. Laheyrard, 
from whom they had concealed this new freak of 
his eldest son. Upon leaving the table she 
feigned a headache and sought refuge in her 
room. There, her heart overflowed and she be- 
gan weeping bitterly. What must she do? To- 
morrow — that evening perhaps — the adventure of 
Fond d’Enfer would be spread through the 
whole town, and it could not possibly fail to reach 
the ears of M. de Seigneiilles, or even M. Lahey- 
rard. What a terrible blow this scandal would 
be to her father, whose position as Inspector at 
Juvigny was already so difficult and insecure! 

Her tears increased at this thought, and at the 
same time the cruel words of the mother of 
Georgette resounded in her ears: "This will 


172 


THE MARRIHGE OF GERARD 


compromise her so that she will have a pretext 
to make him marry her!” 

The indignation with which she resented this 
insulting supposition, suddenly revived her de- 
pressed courage. 

"No!” she exclaimed, her pride revolting at 
the idea. "I will show them that in spite of my 
giddy ways I am better than all of them.” 

Little by little, the idea of returning to Paris 
to seek employment as a teacher, reawakened 
in her heart. The intoxicating enervation that 
had enthralled her for the past month had made 
her forget the plans for her departure, but the 
escapade of Fond d’Enfer had dissipated forever 
all thoughts of that happy marriage. She in- 
dulged in no more illusions; Gerard was lost to 
her; he would never dare oppose his father to 
the last, and if he dared, it would be in vain, for 
the obstinate old Chevalier would never yield. 
Domestic quarrels only exasperate people, with- 
out bringing about any good results. Who knows 
but later on,his heart becoming weary and embit- 
tered, Gerard might even end by regretting that 
he had ever known and loved her? No, she could 
not endure such a misfortune, and this role of 
disturber of the family peace was indeed too re- 
pugnant to her. It was better for her to go far 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


173 


away from Juvigny, for then her enemies might 
forget her and the scene at Fond d^Enfer, 
and M. Laheyrard be no longer in danger of 
losing his position. 

She pondered over these things as the last rays 
of the setting sun glided obliquely into het 
room, while the sonorous snoring of Marius 
resounded through the partition wall. Her old 
school-teacher of the boarding-school of the Rue 
de Vaugirard had often proposed to her to return to 
her establishment to teach drawing toiler pupils. 
Helene hastily penned a few lines to the kind 
lady, announcing her early arrival, and begging 
her hospitality. She hurried awa}^ to mail the 
letter. 

When she returned, she felt more tranquil, and 
less discontented with herself. At eighteen, one 
has a passion for devotion and sacrifice. She be- 
gan to make preparations for her departure. 
She opened the drawers and packed up carefully 
and tenderly each trifling object that she loved 
— the garland of blackberry blossoms that she 
wore at the Salvanches ball; the favorite books 
she had read with Gerard; two or three withered 
flowers plucked by him; and then she folded up, 
with a sigh of regret, the modest little dress of 
so small cost and yet so daintily elegant. 


174 


THE MARRIHGE OF GERARD 


"Yes," she thought, while disposing of each 
article at the bottom of the chest of drawers, 
"when he thinks of me no bitterness will ever 
mar the sweetness of his memories. He shall 
think of me always as I was at the Salvanches 
ball; he will not repent having known me, and 
he will keep in his heart a little corner of blue 
sky which no cloud will ever obscure — that cer- 
tainly will be a dear consolation to me when I 
am among strangers, far awa}^ from him and my 
father." 

Profound silence reigned within the house; in 
the distance she could hear the rolling of car- 
riages and the tic-tac of a weaver's loom. At 
last the trunk was packed; Helene wiped away 
a tear, shut down the lid, and began to undress, 
thinking as the sobs filled her throat, that this 
would be the last night she should pass in her 
father’s house. 


XV 

The next morning at daybreak, the drunken 
stupor that had kept Marius upon his bed for 
eighteen hours, had only partially vanished. The 
poet arose with a dry mouth and a heavy head. 
He discovered that his bed had not been opened 
and that he had slept in his clothes. He rubbed 
his eyes, opened the window, plunged his face 
into fresh water, and, as if that immersion had 
cleared away from his brain the misty fumes 
of wine, he suddenly remembered all. He saw 
the two rustic neighbors at the table with their 
bantering smiles, their glasses always filled to 
overflowing with that treacherous wine; the 
singular glances of Madame Grandfief; and he 
recalled the strange manner in which the conver- 
sation had been turned upon Gerardos love affair. 
A terrible shudder passed over him. 

“Dreadful brute that I am!" he cried, giving 


175 


176 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


himself a hard blow with his fist. “What fool- 
ish things I must have said!” 

He ran immediately to find his sister in her 
studio, where she was busy packing up her paints 
and brushes. He entered with a downcast coun- 
tenance. 

“My poor Helene,” he began, greatly abashed. 

I was intoxicated yesterday, and I very much 
fear that I disclosed more than was prudent.” 

He then narrated to her the incidents of the 
hunting breakfast. As he spoke, his memory 
became more lively and he was fully conscious of 
his having committed an unpardonable indiscre- 
tion. Helene took his hand. 

“Yes, Marius,” she said gently, “you have 
talked too much, and we must all suffer for it.” 

In her turn she described the scene at Fond 
d’Enfer, and the conduct of Madame Grandfief. 

Marius felt his legs totter beneath him, and 
he sank into a chair. 

“Donkey! Idiot!” he cried tearing his hair. 
“I understand now why that miserable prude 
kept her piercing black eyes upon me. She list- 
ened to my foolish words and profited by them. 
Ah! poor little sister, what will become of you, 
and how wretched I am!” and the big, strapping 
fellow bowed his head and wept like a child. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


177 


“Do not grieve," said Helene, touched by his 
despair. “It is not altogether your fault; 1 too 
am to be blamed. I am not angry with you, you 
great goose." 

She patted him gently on the shoulder and 
tried to take his hand. 

“Great Heavens!" he exclaimed; “this must 
not end here! I will hasten to Grange-Allard; 
Gerard is an honorable fellow, and we will make 
that venerable fossil of a father give his consent 
willingly or by force.” 

“You must do nothing of the sort, Marius," 
interrupted Helene with firmness. 

“What!” cried the poet, jumping excitedly, 
“must I leave you compromised, without de- 
manding the reparation that is due you!" 

“I wish to remain as I am: an honest girl, 
and I do not intend they shall say that I took 
advantage of this scandal to make a good mar- 
riage. It is useless to insist,” she continued, 
placing her hand over his mouth. “My resolu- 
tion is formed. I have written to Madame Le 
Mancel, and I shall leave for Paris this evening." 

Marius, absolutely dum founded, shrugged his 
shoulders in utter despair. 

“My good Marius," Helene continued, “listen 
to me, and, for your punishment, obey me. Once 

The Marriage of Gerard I2 


178 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


in Paris they will forget me, and it is necessary 
at any price to avoid an exposure that would 
reflect upon our father. Think of what would 
become of the family should he lose his position. 
I will leave this evening. You must hire a 
carriage and accompany me as far as Blesmes 
where I shall take the train. This is not all; 
you must swear to me that you will not speak to 
Gerard of my departure until you have my per- 
mission. I do not want him to make a coup de 
tite, ” 

She stopped a moment, and taking from the 
wall a little painting, a study of wild flowers, 
she said: “Later on, when all is peaceful, give 
to him this little picture from me; it will be a 
souvenir of our lovely walks — “ 

Sobs filled her throat and she could not speak, 
but wishing to be brave to the end, she mastered 
her feelings energetically. Marius, who loved 
her deeply, clasped her in his arms. 

“I am not worthy to kiss the hem of your dress,’’ 
he cried, “but all the same, if you wished — ’’ 

She silenced him with a resolute glance. 

“Do as I tell you; leave me now and say noth- 
ing to anyone before breakfast." 

Marius left the room ; Helene put on her hat, 
and through an unfrequented street she reached 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


179 


the church of Saint-Etienne, She was not a 
bigot, but she had a religion of her own, full of 
naive superstitions and sudden fervors. Light- 
ing a taper that the sacristan placed upon a tri- 
dent where two bits of candle were smoldering, 
she went and knelt in the shadows and impro- 
vised an eloquent prayer: “God grant that my 
leaving my father’s house may be a sufficient ex- 
piation, and that I alone may suffer for my fault! ’’ 
She did not dare to add: “God grant that Ge- 
rard may not forget me!” but from the depths of 
her heart this wish sprang up and floated heaven- 
ward, concealed under the wings of her prayer. 
When she lifted her head the old church seemed 
more gloomy and austere than ever before. The 
pillars, moldy from dampness, threw a deep 
shadow on the obscure corner where she was 
kneeling; the image of Christ suspended on the 
wall between the two thieves, had a broken- 
hearted expression of humility and suffering, and 
a black marble skeleton representing Death, 
the work of an old Lorraine artist, held toward 
her his hour-glass with a menacing gesture. 
Helene shivered and left the church benumbed 
with fear and cold. 

As she turned the corner to regain the Rue du 
Tribel, she found herself face to face with Fran- 


180 THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 

celin Finoel. The hunchback had seen her enter 
Saint-Etienne, and had lingered near the church 
for her return. 

'T wish to say a few words to you,” he mur- 
mured before she could avoid him, "although 
you have closed your door upon me, I bear you 
no malice and you have no better friend than I.” 

Helene walked hurriedly along without reply- 
ing, but he resolutely followed her. 

"Well,” he continued, "what I predicted has 
befallen you! You are compromised and your 
name is ill-spoken of in the town. For me, I 
do not believe what they say, and to prove it, I 
will renew my offer to you. Will you give me 
your hand in exchange for my name?" 

A crimson blush suffused the brow of the 
young girl. The scandal was then already so 
widely spread that the hunchback had felt en- 
couraged by it to press his hateful suit! 

"You have a soul baser than I supposed,” she 
replied indignantly. 

i "And you — how tenacious are your hopes! 
After what happened yesterday, do you still ex- 
pect to marry Gerard de Seigneulles?” 

"I hope to leave this town this evening, and 
my last and greatest mortification before leav- 
ing it, is that I have met and heard you." 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


181 


She looked up and crushed the little hunchback 
with a glance full of scorn and contempt, then 
hastened homeward, at last, alone. 

At breakfast, Marius whispered into her ear: 

"The carriage is engaged for this evening at 
eight o'clock." 

The time had come for Helene to break the 
silence, and her heart beat violently; she could 
hardly bring herself to inform M. Laheyrard of 
her resolution. 

"I will speak to him directly," she said, and 
she delayed the fatal moment. At last, as she 
arose from the table, she said in a trembling voice: 

"Petit pbre, you know that Mme. Le Man- 
cel insists that I shall return to her to teach 
drawing; I have carefully thought over her 
proposition, and have decided to accept it." 

M. Laheyrard turned pale; Madame Lehey- 
rard put down her knife and fork and sat with 
her mouth gaping. 

"I wish to leave as soon as possible," contin- 
ued Helene. "I have already given my reasons 
to my brother, and he approves of my resolve; 
do you not, Marius?" 

The poet stammered some words of assent, and 
not being able to keep his countenance, he arose 
and began to fill his pipe. 


182 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"What!" cried the old professor. "Will you 
leave us? But^there is no need of such haste — " 

"It is necessary to make the best of Madame 
Le Mancel’s kindness, and I have decided to 
start this evening.” 

At these words about starting, Tonton and Ben- 
jamin, who adored Helene, began to weep and 
cling to her skirts. 

"This is nonsense," exclaimed Madame Lahey- 
rard; "to-day — this evening! of what are you 
dreaming! Your clothes are not ready; your 
trunk is not packed!" 

"Pardon me," said Helene, "but I have packed 
what is necessary; you can send the rest, later on." 

"Who ever heard of the like?" continued Mad- 
ame Laheyrard. "What will the neighbors say at 
seeing you depart as if you had committed a 
cri me?" 

"The neighbors may say what they choose," re- 
plied Helene; "I am not in the habit of concern- 
ing myself about their opinions." 

M. Laheyrard remained silent. He took his 
daughter’s arm and drew her into the garden. 

"My child," said the poor man, sighing, "this 
sudden departure gives me reason to believe that 
you are concealing something from me. Is any 
one molesting you here?" 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


183 


"No, petit p^re; I am as happy as possible; 
only you know it is necessary to think of the fut- 
ure. Here are the children who are growing, and 
your salary will not keep pace with the appetites 
of these two little ones." 

"I understand — I understand; and you are a 
warm-hearted girl; but what is to become of 
me? how am I to live without you? You are 
my companion, my joy! But, after all, fathers 
are selfish; kiss me, my own little girl." 

She placed her arms around his neck, and 
kissed him fondly, struggling bravely to keep 
back the tears. 

The afternoon passed away sadly. At nightfall, 
the cabrioleiy driven by Marius, stood before the 
door. Madame Laheyrard, concluding that the 
time had come for her to show her grief, burst 
into tears. The children joined in a chorus. 
Helene embraced them all tenderly, reserving the 
last kisses for her father. 

"Write me long letters," said the old man, his 
voice trembling with emotion. 

"Come on; it is time to start," cried Marius, 
who with difficulty could keep back his tears. 
"We are late and we must not miss the train 
at Blesmes. " 

Helen climbed into the vehicle and they rolled 
rapidly away. 


184 THE MARRMGE OF'cERARd" 

In order not to cross the town, Marius took a 
circuitous route by way of Combles. He reached 
the forest just as the curfew sounded nine 
o^ clock. They were both silent; the only sounds 
to be heard were the stamping of the horses’ 
hoofs on the hard road and the cracking of the 
whip that Marius handled in a nervous manner. 

"So you do not wish me to speak to Gerard of 
your departure?" said he suddenly. 

“No, I beg of you! " exclaimed Helene in a 
resolute tone. 

Marius, much moved by the apparent stoicism 
of his sister, contented himself with giving a 
kind of grunt to show his disapproval, and the 
conversation ceased. When they reached the 
summit of the plateau the road overlooked a vast 
extent of the forest, and the moon rising sudden- 
ly above the horizon spread a fleecy, luminous 
veil over the woods and lighted up the roofs of 
the farm in the distance. Marius, standing upon 
the seat, pointed with his whip to the pointed 
gables clearly defined against the sky. 

"See," he whispered, "we can now see the 
roofs of Grange-Allard. To think that poor 
Gerard waits in vain there, not dreaming that 
we are passing within a stone’s throw of his 
lodgings!" 















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THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


185 


Helene felt her heart beat excitedly. She could 
not refrain from rising and looking out in the 
direction indicated. 

Thanks to a radiant moon, one could distin- 
guish clearly the farm with its barns, turrets and 
pigeon houses. The young girl drank in every de- 
tail with a hungry look. She knew that at a word 
from her, Marius would whip up his horse in the 
direction of Grange-Allard. She would surprise 
Gerard in the dreary corner of the kitchen hearth, 
they would clasp each other’s hands once more. 
The temptation was strong, and a month ago she 
would certainly have succumbed to it, but the 
mortifications of the past two days had matured 
her reason and cruelly dried up that wild flow of 
animal spirits that formerly bubbled in her brain. 
She bit her lips, closed her eyes, and threw her- 
self into her corner of the carriage, crying to 
Marius: "Drive on or we will not arrive in time 
for the train." 

Marius made the air resound with a shrill 
whistle, and whipped up his horse. 

"You women are astonishing," he muttered, 
looking at Helene stealthily. "Some of you are 
bundles of mysterious complications that amaze 
me." 

"Apropos of what are you saying that?" asked 
Helene 


186 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"Apropos of you; you leave Juvigny, in hur- 
ried myster}^ to go and teach little girls how to 
draw ears and eyes; that is very courageous, I 
agree with you; but at the same time you are in- 
different to the sufferings of my friend Gerard. 
He loves you, after all; although he is a little 
bit of a milksop, he loves you, and you do not 
seem to care. ' 

These reproaches entered like sharp arrows 
into Helene’s heart. She did not have the cour- 
age to reply, so she turned away her head that 
the rays of the moon might not reveal the tears 
that dropped down her cheek. 

"Yes," mercilessly continued the poet, whip- 
ping up his lean horse, "you women haven’t 
skulls formed like ours; you are hard, you are 
fierce, and you do not know how to love." 

"Hush, Marius," stammered Helene in a beg- 
ging voice, "you make me miserable." 

She leaned against th side of the vehicle and 
feigned sleep. Little by little, owing to the 
soothing motion of the carriage and the wakeful 
hours she had spent the night before, her eyelids 
grew heavy, and closed over her moist eyes. It 
was mr>rc the sleep of exhaustion than of repose, 
and at the least jolting she woke up. She seemed 
to so®, as in a dream, the forest, the open fields. 


THE My4RRtAGE OF GERARD 


187 


the vineyard’s slopes with their waving vine 
branches, and the elms on the roadside that as- 
sumed distorted, menacing forms as they flew past 
them. At last she fell into a deep slumber, and 
when she awoke they were crossing the plains of 
Champagne, where a flock of sheep was huddled 
close to a shepherd’s tent. The shrill whistle 
of the locomotive resounded in the distance, and 
lights began to scintillate. It was the station of 
Blesmes. 

Helene aroused herself; the tears had hardly 
had time to dry upon her cheeks before they ar- 
rived. 

Marius jumped down briskly and went to have 
the baggage checked. Soon they found them- 
selves alone in the waiting-room where a smoky 
lamp burned dimly. 

The poor fellow noticed then the tear-stained 
face of his sister, and his heart smote him. 
Helene, with her face pressed against the glass 
door, watched the puffing of the locomotive that 
was to carry her so far away from her loved 
ones. 

“Go, my dear Marius, adieu ! Be kind to our 
father.” 

“Ah! a thousand million demons!” cried Ma- 
rius, “you are weeping, and if it had not been for 


188 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


my foolishness this would never have happened. 
How I wish I had that miserable Madame Grand- 
fief between four walls! I would make her pay 
dearly for her perfidious behavior.” 

"Passengers for Paris; all aboard! ’ cried the 
porter, opening the glass door. 

The sister and brother embraced once more; 
the doors of the railway carriages were closed, 
and through the open window Helene threw a 
last kiss to Marius as the train moved off. 


XVI 

“When I am far away they will forget it all,” 
Helene had repeated over and over again to 
strengthen her courage in leaving home, but she 
knew very little of provincial towns, or rather 
she was too much of a Parisian to understand 
them. In Paris, an event, scandalous as it may 
be, falls with a great crash into the surging 
ocean of the great city; the noise that follows 
is promptly smothered by the tumult of crowds 
unceasingly renewed, and by the louder clamor 
of rival scandals that succeed it. It is not thus 
in the tranquil, silent stream of provincial life; 
the smallest pebble that ruffles its sleepy waters 
awakens a thousand sonorous echoes, and produces 
on its surface a succession of undulating circles 
that are ever widening. The inhabitants of smal] 
towns, who watch behind discreetly drawn blinds 
the goings and comings of their neighbors, wel- 
come a scandal as a rare morsel, a delicious, 
189 


190 


THE M/1RRIAGE OF GERARD 


unctuous treat, which they season with marvelous 
ingredients, and upon which they breakfast and 
dine for many days. 

Helene^ s hasty departure, far from making 
them forget the adventure of Fond d’Enfer, 
only gave an excuse and opportunity for gossip 
as ingenious as it was uncharitable. The real 
cause of that flight was too simple, too generous, 
for any one to accept it as true,and in seeking for 
another the imagination of the inhabitants had 
full play. One of the first, little Reine, insinu- 
ated, tossing her head, that the motive of that 
mysterious departure was perhaps much graver 
than they had supposed. 

“When one’s conscience is easy," said this 
prudent young woman, “one does not run away 
like a criminal, and if Mile. Laheyrard left Ju- 
vigny by stealth, it was because she wished to 
conceal the consequences, too visible, of her 
promenades in the forest." Upon which the 
grisette winked her eye significantly, and left 
people to draw their own conclusions. 

Ere long it was whispered that Gerard Seign- 
eulles had seriously compromised Helene. This 
calumny made the tour of the town, and as the 
young girl, by her independent ways, her spir- 
ited wit, and her brilliant beauty had excited 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


191 


many jealousies, the wicked rumor gained cre- 
dence everywhere. 

Among Helene’s accusers one of the most im- 
placable and most dangerous was Madame Grand- 
fief. She did not blame her openly, but she had 
a terribly cruel way of exonerating her. 

"For my part," she said with a smile, "I have 
never believed ill of her, and Christian charity 
forbids any rash judgment; but when I remem- 
ber the deplorable education this poor child has 
received, I am obliged to admit that much of 
what is said is probably true. No principles, no 
deportment, and a mother who never watched 
over her! How can one be surprised when a girl 
thus neglected turns out badly? This is what I 
would say to mothers who have daughters: "Mes- 
dames, are your principles sound? without them 
the best, most brilliant qualities amount to noth- 
ing. Thank God, Georgette has been brought up 
differently! I have never been willing to send her 
to a convent; my eyes have never left her; she 
has no secrets from her mother, and I can read 
her heart like a book. I answer for her as I do 
for myself." 

As for Georgette Grandfief, what she was al- 
lowed to hear of these rumors in regard to Hel- 
ene rendered her deeply thoughtful. Although she 


192 


THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


was exceedingly ignorant of certain things and 
possessed an inactive mind, those covert words 
reflecting on the absence of Mile. Laheyrard, 
those whispered allusions to that flight which 
led people to believe that she was guilty, all 
this being the result of her frivolous conduct, 
sharpened singularly the wits of the curious, 
naive girl. 

She would ask herself, not without a certain 
uncomfortable feeling, how these mysterious 
walks to Fond d’Enfer could so quickly have 
ended in such disastrous results. There is no 
young girl of eighteen so ingenuous — discreetly 
reared though she may be — that she does not 
turn over in her little head many times the 
disquieting problem of marriage and its conse- 
quences. 

Georgette had, like the rest of her sex, in- 
dulged in this very feminine preoccupation, and 
the frightful adventure of Helene greatly piqued 
her ill-satisfied curiosity. How could love before 
marriage terminate in such a strange catastrophe? 
She was so much the more perplexed because her 
own conscience was not entirely clear. This 
model girl, who had so much principle, had 
also some trifling peccadilloes with which to 
reproach herself, in regard to Marius Laheyrard 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


193 


— a sonnet imprudently accepted, a pressure of 
hands prolonged at the end of a waltz, and even 
two or three tender glances exchanged in pass- 
ing. 

In her candid ignorance. Georgette asked her- 
self if she was not gliding along the perilous 
road whereon Helene had made such a terrible 
fall. But at the same time, by a singular con- 
tradiction, in spite of those scruples, she could 
not refrain dreaming complacently of that big 
handsome youth — so robust, so full of fun and 
so captivating. 

The gossip traveled on, rolling from house to 
house, increasing in its passage, like a snow- 
ball. It halted only on the threshold of the 
house of M. de Seigneulles, and at the door of 
the Laheyrards. It even crept into the home of 
the Chevalier, brought there by Manette, who 
heard it while on a visit to the trades-people in 
the lower town; but the old servant knew her 
master too well not to hold her tongue, and as 
to the taciturn Baptiste he did not open his 
mouth, as was his wont. In spite of all this 
reserve, M. de Seigneulles seemed uneasy, as 
if smelling something in the wind. 

One evening on entering the parlor of Mme. 
de Travanette the conversation broke off sudden- 

The Marriage of Gerard 13 


194 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


ly; the assembled visitors showed discreet but 
embarrassed countenances, and the old dame 
herself appeared uncomfortable, and did not in- 
quire after the health of Gerard, as was custo- 
mary with her. A visitor arriving some time 
after the Chevalier, happened to mention inci- 
dentally the flight of Mile. Laheyrard; a gen- 
eral silence followed that untimely remark, and 
side-glances signaled to the new-comer the pres- 
ence of M. de Seigneulles. 

M. de Seingneulles returned home that night 
very thoughtful indeed, and opened his mouth 
only to eat and drink. He ascended to his cham- 
ber whistling the air of La Belle Bourbonnaise, 
which was to Manette always a sign of tempest. 

The next morning, shaving day, the Chevalier 
was already installed in the kitchen, when Mag- 
delinet appeared with a manner more obsequi- 
ous, and a backbone more flexible than ever. The 
barber, of course, knew all the rumors that had 
put the town in commotion, but since the affair 
of the Willows ball he had been more circum- 
spect, and notwithstanding his loquacious mood, 
he remained silent during the operation. It was 
M. de Seigneulles who first broke the silence. 

"Well, Magdelinet,” he said, "what^s the 
news? ” 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


195 


‘‘Nothing, Monsieur; absolutely nothing." 

‘‘Humph! you are very little au courant for a 
man of your profession. Are you not aware that 
our neighbor, Mile. Laheyrard, has left Juvigny? " 

‘‘Pardon me," responded the barber, "I know 
all about that, but I thought it useless to weary 
you with such gossip." 

‘‘It is not gossip, it is a fact,” pursued the 
Chevalier innocently. 

Magdelinet looked at him with amazement. 

Deceived by the impassive expression of his 
customer, he imagined that M. de Seigneulles 
knew of the adventure and was not much con- 
cerned about it. So he replied more pleasantly: 
‘‘Yes it is a fact without doubt, unfortunately, 
but you know they always exaggerate these things 
and we should believe only one-half of what 
they say.” 

M. de Seigneulles started. ‘‘And what in the 
deuce do they say?" he cried, flashing his gray 
eyes upon Magdelinet, who recoiled with fright. 
The unfortunate barber instantly understood that 
he had made a grievous blunder, and so attempted 
to mend matters, saying with affected careless- 
ness: 

‘‘The ignoramuses! The world is so wicked! 
For my part I will wager that after all it was 


196 


THE M/iRRMGE OF GERARD 


only thoughtlessness, and that M. Gerard is not 
to blame." 

"Gerard! By the pope’s shoe! What has my 
son to do with that ridiculous affair! " 

The Chevalier rose from the chair furious, and 
with an angry gesture pushed Magdelinet into a 
corner of the kitchen. 

The barber, as white as the china plates on the 
dresser, tried to extricate himself, and threw to- 
ward the door a look of despair. 

"Did I mention M. Gerard? It was a slip of 
the tongue. In such cases one never knows who 
is the guilty party." 

"Guilty party!” roared M. de Seigneulles, tak- 
ing the unfortunate Magdelinet by the collar and 
pinning him to the wall. “Ah!" he cried trem- 
bling with wrath, "miserable brute! You know 
more than you have said. Hasten to speak clearly 
or I will tear out your miserable tongue and nail 
it between two owls on the door of my dog-ken- 
nel." 

"What do you wish me to say?" stammered 
the barber half suffocated. "I only know what is 
talked of by the whole town; they pretend that 
the daughter of the Inspector has been compro- 
mised, and there are wicked people who add — 
who suppose — " 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


197 


"That it is my son who has done this wrong. " 

"They insinuate it, but I do not believe it," 
replied Magdelinet. 

"Ah! you do not believe it!” cried the Cheva- 
lier, dancing around the barber. "Do you im- 
agine that I care for your opinion? Leave me 
instantly, and never darken my doors again! " 

Magdelinet fled without demanding his fee, and 
as for the Chevalier he remained behind on his 
threshold like a statue of stone. Manette watched 
him, trembling in every limb. Suddenly he 
threw off his robe de chambre and pitching it at 
Manette’ s head he cried in a thundering voice: 

"Bring me my coat! " 

When he had dressed, he ran to the house of 
the Abbd Valland and made him submit to a 
most rigid examination. The Cur^ knew that 
Helene had taken refuge in Paris at a boarding- 
school in the Rue de Vaugirard; he knew all the 
calumnies afloat concerning the young girl, and 
though he did not believe her guilty, he was 
obliged to admit regretfully that appearances 
were against her. 

This conclusion was far from reassuring for the 
Chevalier; he remained closeted for more than 
an hour with the Abb4, and he had hardly left 
the parsonage when Gerard, dust-stained and 


198 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


weary, appeared at the bend of the road opening 
upon the pasture land. His features were pinched, 
his eyes hollow, and his face wore an anxious, 
sorrowful expression. For four long days he 
had waited at Grange* Allard for the letter prom- 
ised by Helene. He could not sleep nor eat, and 
every day he wended his way despairingly to the 
edge of the forest; every moment he was on the 
point of violating his promise to the young girl, 
and of hastening to Juvigny. But the fear of in- 
creasing her trials, and the wrong he had already 
done her, kept him sad and solitary on the skirts 
of the woods from whence he returned each 
day, bitterly disappointed, to Grange-Allard. 

Finally, on the morning of the fifth day, he 
could endure it no longer, and leaving the farm, 
he arrived at Juvigny worn out and feverish. He 
walked over the pasture and turned into the Rue 
du Tribel, reaching the gate just as his father 
was returning from the parsonage. 

The eyes of M. de Seigneulles flashed fire at 
the sight of the culprit, and he was about to give 
vent to his wrath on the street. He managed, 
however, to control himself until the house-door 
had closed behind them. 

“Come to my room, right away,” said the 
enraged old gentleman; “I have to speak to you,” 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


199 


and he pointed at the door of the vestibule, while 
Gerard stood before him with his head uncov- 
ered. 

The tone in which this command was given 
left no doubt as to the state of the father’s mind. 
Gerard read in the angry lights of those pierc- 
ing gray eyes the presage of a grand rage. 

"Well," thought he, while climbing the steps, 
"he has heard the story of Fond d’Enfer^ so 
much the better. I shall not have the trouble 
of relating it myself; that clears the way.” 

They arrived on the landing of the first floor 
where the window opened upon the gardens. 
Gerard threw a furtive glance in that direction, 
seeking to get a glimpse of Helene, which would 
strengthen his courage, but M. de Seigneulles 
did not give him time. With an imperious gest- 
ure, he pushed his son into the room. 

"Sir,” he said, closing the door violently be- 
hind them, "look me in the face and answer me 
frankly once in your life. Do you know the 
story that is going the rounds in this town?” 

"Yes, sir,” replied Gerard, convinced that his 
father alluded to the adventure of Fond d’En- 
fer. 

"Then it is true — you confess it! ” cried M. de 
Seigneulles violently. 


200 


THE MARRUGE OF GERARD 


"I confess it," replied Gerard. 

His father remained silent for a moment; the 
self-possession of his son confounded him. 

"Shameful!" thought he, "and he dares to 
acknowedge it; in what an epoch we are living! 
Just Heaven! " 

"You should have buried yourself a hundred 
feet beneath the sod, rather than to commit such 
villainy! " he continued. 

"That word is a little too strong," said Ge- 
rard, to whose lips the paternal exaggeration 
brought a smile. 

"Sangrebleu! " said M. de Seigneulles, indig- 
nantly; "have you the front to laugh! I have 
said villainy, and I maintain the word; it is not 
any too strong for the deed." 

"There is nothing villainous or even extraordi- 
nary in what I have done. You have, been young, 
sir, and you would probably have acted in the 
same way." 

"Never!" replied the Chevalier dumfounded. 
"Are you a man of honor, sir?" 

"I believe so." 

"I am beginning to doubt it myself. Now, as 
matters stand, what do you expect to do?" 

"I have come to ask you," replied Gerard 
with deference. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


201 


"To ask me!" exclaimed M. de Seigneulles. 
"Have you then no blood in your veins? You 
should have taken my advice before this thing 
happened. You say that I would have acted as 
you have done — do you believe then that if I 
should have been guilty of such a deed, I would 
have sought advice as to how I should act? I 
would have saddled my horse and gone to seek 
that young girl whom you have allowed to depart 
after having shamefully compromised her?" 

"Helene gone! ” stammered Gerard. 

"Are you then ignorant of it?" continued the 
Chevalier, pacing the floor. "Could she have 
remained here after what had passed? Ah, well! 
Where are you going?" he added as he saw 
Gerard advancing towards the door. 

"I am going to do what you have reproached 
me for not doing sooner! " replied the young 
man, who had become pale with excitement; "I 
am going to find her." 

"Remain here!" said M. de Seigneulles impe- 
riously, grasping him by the arm. 

"Permit me to go, sir." 

"I forbid it. You have acted foolishly enough 
already, and it is now for me to act as I think 
proper. " 

Gerard irritated at this resistance made a vio- 


203 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


lent effort to reach the door. The old man had 
become furious, and his son was chafing like a 
wild horse under the spur, so that between them 
there began a silent struggle which threatened 
to become serious. They were no longer father 
and son, but two men blinded with rage. Hap- 
pily the ancient guardsman still had a strong 
arm; he found once more the vigor of other days 
and ended by throwing Gerard upon the sofa. 
Then releasing him suddenly, with a vivacity 
astonishing at his age, the Chevalier made a 
bound forward, opened the door, rushed out, 
turning the key behind him and locking his son 
within. 


XVII 


For some time Gerard remained exhausted and 
panting upon the sofa. The reproaches and 
anathemas of M. de Seigneulles still resounded 
in his ears. All that had passed in that quarter 
of an hour affected him as a nightmare. He 
could hear vaguely the pawing of Bruno in the 
court-yard, the angry voice of his father and 
the replies of the frightened Manette. 

"Bring me my large valise," cried the Cheva- 
lier. 

"Your large valise! " repeated Manette. "Holy 
Mary! it has been ten years since you used it; 
are you in your senses. Monsieur?" 

The Chevalier made no answer but stamped 
his foot impatiently. 

Finally, after a noisy disturbance, and a great 
many exclamations, the valise was buckled to 
the crupper of the saddle. Gerard approached 
the window and saw his father get astride the 
203 


204 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


horse and give the animal a vigorous blow of the 
whip. Brunovs hoofs were soon clattering over 
the stones of the Rue du Tribel. 

Raising his eyes, Gerard observed Marius in 
the neighboring garden, smoking under the elm- 
trees on the terrace. 

“Ah!” thought he, “I can go now and have an 
explanation 

Without trying to open the door he jumped 
over the window-sill and let himself fall into the 
court-yard two feet from the astounded Ikiptiste. 
In a few moments he had joined Marius under 
the garden trees. 

“Welcome,” exclaimed that young man, ex- 
tending his hand to him, “I knew that you would 
come to the rescue.” 

“And Helene?” said Gerard. 

“Gone, ” replied Marius with a sigh; “this place 
was not a residence for her after the scene at 
Fond d^Enfer. Ah! my friend, I have done 
you a great wrong.” And putting aside all false 
shame, the poet confessed frankly his foolish con- 
duct at the hunting breakfast and its disastrous 
consequences. 

“Helene,” he added, “has fled before the 
hatred of Madame Grandfief, but I have not 
given up the fight and I shall serve to that detest- 
able prude a dish of my own making.” 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


205 


Gerard insisted so passionately upon knowing 
the residence of Helene, that Marius ended by 
giving him the name of the street and the num- 
ber of the house where his sister had taken 
refuge. 

"Thanks!” cried Gerard; "I shall leave for Paris 
as soon as possible; will you not accompany me?” 

"No, not now. I am nursing my wrath and I 
do not wish it to cool down. But my poor friend, 
what do you hope to do there?” 

"I wish to see Helene,” answered Gerard in a 
resolute tone, "to prove to her that my heart is 
unchanged, and to bring her back here as my wife. ” 
His eyes flashed, and his whole countenance 
had an expression of energy that was not habit- 
ual to him. Marius looked at him a moment in 
surprise, then slapping him vigorously on the 
shoulder, he exclaimed: 

"Do you know that I admire you, old fellow — 
you are a man I Depart, and good luck to you. 
Go to the Hotel du Parnasse; the proprietor 
is a good fellow, but do not say that I recom- 
mended you, or he might show you the door. ” 
Meanwhile, M. de Seigneulles was jogging 
along the road to the station. In his impatience, 
he thought that the mile-stones would never end, 
and he almost spurred the blood out of the faith- 


206 


THE MAKRMGE OF GERARD 


ful Bruno, who did not understand that reckless 
mode of traveling. In spite of his aversion to 
railroads and all modern inventions, the Cheva- 
lier heartily wished himself seated on the train 
rolling in the direction of Paris. 

“At this moment,” he said to himself, “there 
are people in the world who have the right to 
accuse the Seigneulles of a disloyal act. The 
family escutcheon bears now on its field of azure, 
hitherto immaculate, an ignominious black 
stain." 

That thought made the blood mount to his 
brow. He felt that he could not rest till that 
stain was effaced. How he was to wipe out that 
blemish he did not yet know, and he hardly 
dared to dwell upon a point so delicate. 

“First of all,” he said, in bemoaning the ne- 
cessity of repairing the folly of his son, “it is 
necessary for me to see that confounded girl. 
What kind of a creature I’ll find, God only knows. 
An adventuress, no doubt, with beguiling looks 
and bewitching effrontery. If Gerard had only 
wronged some poor timid girl; but no, he must 
needs stumble upon one of those Parisian sirens, 
without principle and without education. San- 
grebleu!” 

He cordially detested Helene for coming to 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


207 


Juvigny to overthrow his plans and spoil the 
future of his son. At the same time by a strange 
contradiction, he could not think of that eight- 
een-year-old girl betrayed by Gerard, v/ithout 
overflowing indignation. The aristocratic pride, 
the sentiments of honor, and the paternal ego- 
tism fought, in that loyal soul, a formidable 
combat. 

"I will never be easy until I see her,” he cried 
as he journeyed onward through the fields. 
“Miserable causeway, it is interminable!" 

Little by little the distance diminished hoW' 
ever, and ere long M. de Seigneulles perceived 
the roofs of the houses at the station and heard 
the puffing of the locomotive. He thought that 
the train was starting without him; so spurring 
his horse, he trotted at a rapid gait down a steep 
hill. Unfortunately the strength of Bruno was 
not equal to the haughty impatience of his mas- 
ter; the poor beast stumbled and fell, and the 
impetuous old gentleman was thrown upon a pile 
of stones. Some peasants laboring in a neigh- 
boring field ran to his rescue. They lifted him 
from the ground and found that besides having 
a bruised head, he was unable to stand on his 
legs. The village was near at hand, and they 
carried the wounded Chevalier to the inn there. 


208 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


followed by his lame horse; then they started in 
search of a physician. 

M.de Seigneulles was suffering greatly with his 
leg, but his bodily pains were nothing in compar- 
ison to the mental and moral irritation he under- 
went as he thought of the delay caused by this 
unhappy fall. The doctor arrived, and after thor- 
oughly examining the sick man, pronounced that 
there were no fractures. Still the leg was greatly 
bruised and displayed to the eye considerable 
swelling. ‘‘But that is nothing, ” said he, “drink 
arnica, apply ten leeches to the knee, and all 
will be well. ’’ 

“Can I leave to-morrow?” inquired M. de 
Seigneulles anxiously. 

“Not a step can I allow you to-morrow. In 
four days, if you are careful. Ten leeches, do 
you understand?" 

“Four days!" exclaimed the Chevalier as the 
doctor left the room; “it is preposterous I This 
old saw-bones wishes to kill me!" And sitting 
up in his bed he ordered them to bring him at 
once forty leeches. 

“Pardon, Monsieur," said the inn-keeper, "but 
the doctor said ten leeches. 

“The doctor is an ass!" replied M. de Seign- 
eulles. "Obey me!" 


THE MHRRIAGE OF GERARD 


209 


When the leeches were brought, the Chevalier 
dismissed everybody, and then began to apply 
successively the whole forty leeches about his 
knee. As a born soldier, M. de Seigneulles be- 
lieved only in horse remedies, and he reasoned 
with himself thus: "If ten leeches will cure 
me in four days, I can be on foot to morrow by 
quadrupling the dose." He called this "ener- 
getic doctoring." Very energetic indeed for at 
the expiration of three hours, losing such a 
quantity of blood, he became whiter than the 
bedclothes, and feeling himself fainting, he had 
only time to call for aid. 

The doctor was called in haste, and on being 
informed of the action of his patient, he ex- 
claimed loudly: 

"You are in a pretty fix! Now you are here 
for fifteen days!" 

M. de Seigneulles, at any other time, would 
have vigorously resented the insolence of this 
Esculapius, but he was just then too weak to be 
indignant. 

He contented himself with heaving a melan- 
choly sigh, and buried his head despairingly be- 
neath the bedclothes. 


The Marriage oj Gerard 14 


XVIII 


While Gerard’s father was detained at the 
inn at Blesmes, Marius Laheyrard, at Juvigny, 
was thinking more and more of wreaking ven- 
geance on Madame Grandfief. The intolerant 
insolence of this malicious woman, who posed as 
the great justice distributer in the town of 
Juvigny, had always irritated the nerves of the 
poet; but above all else, he could not pardon her 
for her conspiracy in the Fond d’Enfer episode, 
and for the flight of Helene. Every morning he 
awoke, swearing that he would never leave the 
country till he had lowered her pride and arro- 
gance. In the meantime, to make himself dis- 
agreeable to her, he began to court her daughter. 
Georgette. 

Since Mile. Grandfief accepted from him an 
original sonnet on the evening of the ball at Sal- 
vanches, Marius had discovered that this sly 
young person looked upon him favorably. It may 
210 


THE M/IRRMGE OF GER/IRD 


211 


not be that she properly appreciated his quat 
rains and bizarre triolets, but a girl always pe- 
ruses with pleasure the verses which she herself 
has inspired. Georgette had cherished the lines 
presented to her by young Laheyrard, and read 
and reread them secretly, although not fully 
comprehending them. The joyous Marius was 
just the lover to please this ingenuous young 
lady. 

A fearless, graceful dancer, a bon vivant in 
every sense of the word; with his ruddy face, 
blonde beard, bold eyes and eloquent tongue, he 
was to Georgtte singularly attractive and irre- 
sistible. Girls strictly reared are always the ones 
who have a taste for the mauvais sufets, and Mile. 
Grandfief found the love of Marius savory, as 
all forbidden fruit. She met him often in her 
walks, and he had become a regular attendant at 
high-mass at Saint-Etienne. Seated not far from 
her pew he flashed upon her burning glances that 
became to her a guilty, but delicious distraction. 

Since the famous breakfast, Marius had not 
put his foot into the Grandfief house, but in the 
evenings when the moon shone. Georgette, seated 
at the window of her chamber, could see him 
roaming around the inclosure of Salvanches, and 
the innocent creature already pictured him seal- 


212 


THE MARRI/fGE OF GERARD 


ing the walls and climbing to her balcony on a 
rope ladder. She would retire to rest uneasily, 
arising from her . bed frequently to run to the 
window in her bare feet, to see if he was still 
there standing under some plane-tree of the si 
lent promenade. By degrees, Marius himself 
came to enjoy this clandestine courtship, begun 
in bravado and continued for the mere purpose 
of vexing Madame Grandfief. The appetizing 
beauty of the little provinciale^ with her cheeks 
like ripe peaches, her black eyes hypocritically 
lowered, and her luscious, rosy lips, was very 
seductive to this robust fellow whose Rabelaisian 
tastes contrasted strangely with the funereal sen- 
timents of his poems. Insensibly his imagina- 
tion became inflamed, and his heart affected; in 
short, that which in the first place was only a 
passing fancy, became, not a gratide passion — 
Marius was not formed for such a sentiment — 
but a lively and serious caprice. 

The vintage season arrived. This is the time 
of year when the landscape at Juvigny, ordinarily 
too green or too gra}^ suddenly takes on the most 
intense and varied colors, and a magnificence 
absolutely meridional. In the woods, the lote 
trees crimsoned; the beech changed to a reddish 
brown, and the foliage of the oak was bright 


THE MARRl/iGE OF GERARD 


213 


with every tint of tan and gold. In the distance, 
stretched out the forest of Jur^, enveloped in 
purple and violet shadows, but after all, it was 
the vineyards that presented to the eye the loveli- 
est feast of brilliant and artistic coloring. Over 
those gentle slopes, the autumn threw a mantle 
that brought to mind the gorgeous richness of 
Oriental fabrics. The vine branches, loaded 
with fruit, displayed every tint of red and yellow, 
splendid crimsons, pale green, russet golden, and 
rose color — all mingling harmoniously and sing- 
ing a magic symphon3^ Below, the silvery wil- 
lows, and above, the snowy vapors on the hori- 
zon, contrasted sweetly with the intense coloring 
of the woods and vineyards —all spreading 
serenely there under the azure skies. 

At this season, the whole of Juvigny is full of 
gayety. Grapes are the chief product of the 
soil, and when there is an abundant harvest each 
proprietor brings from the depths of his cellar 
several bottles of old wine and opens them in 
honor of the new vintage. At daybreak, the vine- 
dressers and their wives and daughters go sing- 
ing along the streets in merry bands. The roads 
are plowed up by the carts, loaded with grapes ; 
the wine-press houses throw open their wide cart- 
entrances and expose to view, within their dark 


214 


THE M/iRRIAGE OF GERARD 


recesses, the enormous proportion of the vats, 
and the plump paunches of the casks ranged 
along the wall. 

Toward noon, the ladies and the young girls 
roam through the vineyards and mingle with the 
vine-dressers. They bring their lunches and eat 
in the open air on the edge of the meadow; 
then, like good subjects of Grandgousier, they 
repair to the plantation of willows, and there 
under the trees they dance a rondeau — " Tant bau- 
deinent que A esi passe-temps cileste les voir ahisi soy 
rigoller." And on every side the echoes take up the 
merry song. 

At dusk they return to the town with the 
last carts, and the day is ended with a grand sup- 
per where wine flows freely and all is merriment, 
the pleasant winy odors from the presses mak- 
ing the air balmy and increasing this easy famil- 
iarity and sociablity. 

Marius Laheyrard did not fail to be present at 
these provincial love-feasts, inasmuch as he wished 
to meet Mile. Grandfief there. The god of lovers 
was evidently propitious, for, one beautiful after- 
noon, he recognized Georgette among the young 
daughters of the owners of the vineyard, who 
were gathering grapes themselves, mixing with 
the laborers. As chance would have it, Georgette 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


215 


had come alone, Madame Grandfief being kept 
at home with a headache had consented to 
trust her daughter in a friend’s charge. This was 
for the poet a precious windfall, and he profited 
by it, as you may well believe. The two plucked 
the grapes, side by side, eating from the same 
bunch and lunching from the same plate, taking 
advantage of this charming familiarity to touch 
each other’s hands. That evening, when they 
returned to the town, the proprietor of the vine- 
yard invited Marius to supper, and in honor of the 
ladies opened several bottles of champagne. Geor- 
gette, who did not disdain to dip her pretty lips 
into the sparkling wine, drank freely, as did the 
poet, and when they arose from the table their 
brains were excited, their eyes brilliant and their 
tongues loosened. 

The waiting-maid from Salvanches had come 
for Georgette, so she must return home. She 
went to the dressing-room to get her mantle, 
and under cover of the general confusion, 
Marius, very gay indeed and hardly conscious of 
what he was doing, slipped from the dining-room 
in search of the young girl. He was roaming 
about the corridor in the dim light, when he saw 
Georgette descending the stairway coming to- 
wards him. She tripped lightly down the steps 


216 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


humming a waltz, bolding her straw hat in her 
hand. Never had she appeared so lovely to Ma- 
rius; her hair coquettishly disordered; her nose 
in the air; her cheeks glowing, and her lips smil- 
ing. Her great eyes were all aglow, and as she 
breathed, her youthful bosom rose and fell sweet- 
ly. If Marius was still under the influence of 
champagne. Georgette herself was affected by 
the walk in the cool twilight, the slight exhilara- 
tion caused by grapes eaten from the bunch and 
the gayety of the supper. She was fresh-looking 
and engaging; the stairway was so solitary that 
Marius felt himself possessed by an amorous de- 
mon, and without speaking he seized Georgette’s 
two hands within his own, and pressed a burning 
kiss upon her rosy lips. She was so dazed at 
first, that either from terror or embarrassment, or 
because she found that impertinent kiss not al- 
together unpleasant, she stood there motionless; 
and Marius— poets are always self conceited — felt 
that she did not withdraw her lips very quickly 
from his own. Suddenly she uttered a little 
startled cry; a door opened and Reine Lecomte, 
who had been among the grape-gatherers of the 
day, stood upon the threshold. Mile. Grandfief 
released herself with an air of indignation and fled 
covered with blushes, while Marius, with that 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


21 ? 


aplomb that comes from serai-intoxication, de- 
scended the stairway delighted with the advent- 
ure, smacking his lips in memory of that kiss, 
and murmuring with satisfaction: "Fooled, Ma- 
dame Grandfief.” 

Georgette returned to Salvanches confused 
and thoughtful. She experienced a strange sen- 
sation of uneasiness; a mixture of fear and 
pleasure; of anguish and delight. When the lips 
of Marius touched her own, there coursed in her 
veins alternately fire and ice; her heart had 
throbbed deliciously, and she confessed to her- 
self blushingly that she had wished that kiss 
might be prolonged for hours. But, ere long a 
terrible fear filled her devout and guileless soul. 
Helene Laheyrard, so cruelly punished, perhaps 
had not committed a graver offense than her own. 
That kiss that had left behind it such a sweet 
feverish sensation might draw upon her head 
the same dire consequences as upon the daughter 
of the Inspector. This singular fear made her 
shudder from head to foot, and she could think 
of nothing else. When she found herself alone 
in her little room the fear redoubled. Catching a 
glimpse of her face in the mirror she was startled 
at the brilliancy of her eyes. Undoubtedly some- 
thing new and terrible was taking place within 
her; she had a fever, yet she shivered. 


218 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"Ah, Mon Dieu! ", she exclaimed, "What has 
become of me? and that gossiping tongue of 
Reine who saw it all, and who is sure to spread 
it abroad! By to-morrow 1 shall be the talk of the 
town." She sobbed herself to sleep, and dreamed 
all night of Helene Laheyrard. 

On rising the next morning, she ran to the mir- 
ror and seeing the dark circles under her eyes, her 
dejected countenance and her pale lips, she could 
doubt it no longer: she was lost beyond rescue. 
How could she dare face the inquisitorial gaze 
of her mother? It was necessary to show herself 
however, and at the breakfast hour she descended 
pale and trembling. 

Happily Madame Grandfief, in the excitement 
of the quarterly laundry-day, did not notice the 
altered looks of her daughter. During the forenoon 
Georgette remained silent and anxious. Every 
time she passed before the mirror she observed 
with horror the pallor of her face, and her fears 
increased. Her agitation and melancholy did not 
escape the notice of the Abb4 Valland, who paid a 
visit to Salvanches in the afternoon. He had 
known Georgette from her infancy, and still 
treated her as a little child. He was very observ- 
ant, and was struck by the change in her coun- 
tenance, which was usually unruffled and passive. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


219 


He imagined that she was regretting the broken 
engagement with Gerard, and that she was more 
mortified and disappointed than she wished to 
own. He straightway resolved to have a talk on 
the subject with the young girl. 

On taking leave of Madame Grandfief, he said: 
"Apropos of Georgette, I wish to speak to her 
about the altar-cloth which the young girls are 
embroidering for the chapel of the Virgin; send 
her to me to-morrow at the parsonage, after the 
nine o’clock mass." 

This invitation increased Georgette’s anxiety. 
Without a doubt the Cure already knew of the 
episode, and the idea of an interrogatory made 
her tremble. The next morning, after a restless 
night, she started for the parsonage. She was 
so frightened that she could hardly lift the heavy 
knocker. The Abb^ was awaiting the young 
girl in the library, and as she entered he dis- 
missed his old housekeeper, and with the skill 
of an examining magistrate, he placed her chair 
so that the light would fall upon her face. Then 
taking her hand, he made her sit before him. 

"Well, my child," he began, "what is the news 
at Salvanches?” 

'Nothing, sir; mamma is assorting the clothes 
and papa is out hunting." 


220 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"And what of yourself? * They tell me you 
have been ill lately. You certainly do look 
thin. " 

Georgette trembled and turned very pale. 

"Me?" she replied, lowering her eyes under 
the piercing gaze of the Abb6. "There is noth- 
ing the matter with me, I assure you." 

"Then, why that downcast countenance?" said 
the Abb6, examining her anew over his specta- 
cles. "You have lost your color, and one does not 
wear an expression like that without a cause. 
My dear child, do not dissemble with me; you 
well know that I am not severe like your mother. 
Tell me all your little troubles; do not fear to 
confide in me." 

"Ah, Monsieur le Cur6, " she exclaimed, her 
eyes downcast and twisting her fingers nervously, 
"I dare not." 

"Are they then such great troubles? " asked the 
Abb6 with an encouraging smile. 

"It is impossible for me to tell you," mur- 
mured Georgette. Then as if overcome by fear 
and remorse she stammered out: "O, Monsieur 
le Cur6, I have committed a grievous fault." 

"A grievous fault," repeated the Abb^, a little 
perplexed. Then seeing the consternation de- 
picted on the countenance of Mile urandfief, he 






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THE MHRRIAGE OF GERARD 


221 


said in a grave voice: "Do you wish me to hear 
you in confession?” 

"Oh!” she cried in tragic tones, "that is need- 
less, for I shall have to inform my mother of my 
situation. ’’ 

The Abb6 started and pushed his chair back- 
wards. 

"Ah!” he exclaimed, "tell me what is agitat 
ing you? What have you done?” 

"I believe,” said the poor child, "that I am no 
better than Helene Laheyrard. ” 

She covered her face with her hands. Abb6 
Vallahd, frightened beyond expression, stood up. 

"What are you telling me!” he exclaimed. 
"But go on, my child, explain yourself clearly. 
Who has brought this to pass? Faults of this 
nature are not committed by thinking, neither by 
wishing One does not offend in that way- 
alone. ” 

He wiped his brow, for that delicate investi- 
gation had made the perspiration roll down his 
face in great drops. 

"I was not alone,” replied Georgette; then 
bursting into tears, and becoming suddenly more 
confiding she said: "Alas! Monsieur, I arn 
lost!” 

"Holy Virgin!" cried the poor Cur6 wringing 


322 


THE My^RRMGE OF GERARD 


his hands, “who is the scape-grace, criminal 
enough for — ?“ 

“Marius Laheyrard. ” 

“Marius! Again! it seems as if there is a 
fatality about that family. Well then, unhappy 
child, tell me all; it is no longer wise to conceal 
anything. Where did it happen?” 

“Upon the stairway ai M. Corrard^s, ” sobbed 
Georgette. 

“Upon the stairway! Shameless impudence! ” 
exclaimed the horrified Abb^. “When! How! 
Speak!” 

Gradually he gained her childish confidence; 
she avowed all, trembling like a leaf: the in- 
sidious courtship in which she had encouraged 
Marius; the afternoon in the vineyard; the 
slight intoxication at supper, and then, finally, 
the kiss upon her lips, and the pleasure it gave 
her. 

“And then?" groaned the indignant Abb6. 

“That is all,” murmured Georgette, drowned 
in tears. 

The Curd drew a long breath of profound re- 
lief. 

“You have told me the whole truth?" 

“Alas! yes. Monsieur." 

Notwithstanding the terror he had just expe- 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


223 


rienced, the Abbd Valland could not repress a 
smile. That ultra naive simplicity amazed him. 
He remained silent, contemplating the sleeve of 
his cassock. At last he turned toward Georgette 
who waited, confused and tearful. 

“My dear child,’’ he said gravely, “dry your 
tears and be reassured. Providence is merciful, 
and the consequences you dread will not happen 
— this time. Only be on your guard, for I can- 
not answer for what will follow if the offense is 
repeated. ’’ 

He rose from his chair and walked up and 
down the floor to conceal his desire to laugh, 
while Georgette wiped her cheeks and became 
a little more calm. 

"This affair," said he, after having addressed 
to her a vigorous lecture, "is no less deeply to 
be regretted. I hope that scapegrace Marius 
may guard the secret of his pranks. I will speak 
to him of it, and God be praised, we can avoid 
this new scandal!" 

“But,” said Georgette humbly, “there is some- 
one who saw us,’’ and she told him of the sud- 
den apparition of Reine Lecomte. 

“A pest upon her!" exclaimed the Abb4, who 
could hardly refrain from using an oath, “that 
spoils it all! That girl has the tongue of a 


224 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


viper, and she has without a doubt already told 
the whole story and it now obliges me to consult 
your mother.” 

At the mention of her mother’s name, Geor- 
gette began to weep anew in a way that touched 
the heart of the old Cur^. 

“Well, well,” he said, endeavoring to pacify 
her, “do not despair; I will assume the reponsi- 
bility of the whole matter and see that you are 
not scolded.” 

That same day, he went to Salvanches, took 
Madame Grandfief aside and related to her the 
whole affair. 

As !ioon as she heard his first words, she burst 
forth into a violent rage against Marius, and 
vowed that she would denounce his insolence in 
court. 

"Be calm, Madame," said the Abb^ gently, 
"for Georgette’s sake it is necessary to avoid 
giving unnecessary publicity to this unfortunate 
incident; unhappily, secrecy is no longer possible 
as there was a witness to the scene. Reine 
Lecomte, the little seamstress, saw it alL” 

This revelation only increased the wrath of 
Madame Grandfief. 

' You see,” she said, "there is all the more rea- 
son for me to seek public vindication for the 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


225 


insulting conduct of this scamp, and to proclaim 
abroad the innocence of Georgette." 

‘‘Permit me to suggest, my dear Madame," 
replied Abb^ Valland, "to look first at this thing 
in the right light. M. Laheyrard is assuredly 
very guilty, but Georgette has also some pecca- 
dilloes with which to reproach herself. She has 
confessed to me that she did nothing to dis- 
courage the young man’s attentions, on the con- 
trary—” 

"It is impossible," protested Madame Grand- 
fief. "M}^ daughter has been too carefully trained. " 

The Abbd shook his head, and repeated all 
that the young girl had confessed to him. Mad- 
ame Grandfief was too astounded to speak. 

"This is too much!" she said, after a long si- 
lence. "A daughter in whom I have inculcated 
only the highest principles! I will be the laugh 
ing stock of the town. What must I do?" 

"There is always some way in which to remedy 
an evil,” hazarded the Ahb6. "Georgette loves 
Marius Laheyrard; let them marry." 

Madame Grandfief bounded up, all of her pride 
in revolt, and uttered a cry of rage. 

‘Never!" she exclaimed. "My daughter to enter 
such a family after the scandalous behavior of 
Mile. Laheyrard! I should die of shame." 

The Marriage oj Gerard 15 


226 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


"Ah, Madame, who knows that Helene is guilty? 
After what has happened you should be more in- 
dulgent. Georgette is innocent, and yet before 
to-morrow she may be attacked by the same ab 
surd calumnies that drove my poor godchild 
away. Believe me, it will be better to face the 
matter bravely, and hush it all up by a wed- 
ding." 

"I would sooner shut my daughter in a con- 
vent," retorted the inflexible matron, suddenly 
turning all of her wrath upon Georgette. "She 
is an unnatural child, and you may trust me to 
meet her with an appropriate punishment." 

"She has been punished sufficiently already," 
replied the Cur^; "it would be better to avoid a 
scandal, and act like a prudent mother — " 

"A marriage under these conditions! when my 
daughter has refused superb offers! No, it is 
impossible!" 

"Very well," said the Abb6, taking his hat and 
bowing; "reflect upon my suggestion; weigh the 
pros and cons: I shall return to you to-morrow," 


XIX 

While these things were taking place at Sal- 
vanches, M. de Seigneulles had recovered from 
the indisposition caused by his indiscreet appli- 
cation of the forty leeches. As soon as he was 
restored, he entered the first train to Paris, not 
being deterred in the least by a very stormy 
night. On reaching Paris, he installed himself at 
an antique hotel on the Rue St. Dominique where 
he had often lodged during the Restoration. The 
next morning, putting on his broad-brimmed hat 
and enveloping himself in his long overcoat, he 
directed his footsteps toward the boarding- 
school wherein Helene had taken refuge. 

The establishment of Madame Le Mancel was 
situated in that lonely part of the Rue de Vau- 
girard that adjoins the Bouleyard Montparnasse. 
The Chevalier had not taken thirty steps along 
the street of that deserted quarter when he 
stopped suddenly with a gesture of violent sur- 
237 


238 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


prise. He shaded his eyes with his hand, then 
uttered an energetic oath when on a closer in- 
spection of the early promenader, whose face was 
partly concealed by the upturned collar of his 
overcoat, he found that he was no other than Ge- 
rard. The young man was leaning against a wall 
contemplating with an air of melancholy a high 
gate painted green, above which one could read: 
" Institution of Madame Le Mancel^ founded in 1838," 

Behind this gate in the court-yard two plane 
trees waved their half-naked boughs, through 
which one could see a row of buildings with 
closed shutters. 

"Sangrebleu!” cried the Chevalier, shaking 
the dreamer by the shoulder; "I always find you 
where you ought not to be!” 

Gerard, aroused so suddenly from his absorbing 
contemplations, trembled on recognizing M. de 
Seigneulles. He quickly recovered his self-pos- 
session. 

"Father — 

"What pranks have you come to play here, 
sir?” interrupted the old Chevalier impetuously. 

"I came to repair my wrong.” 

"Then you have seen the young woman?" 

"No,” replied Gerard sadly, "during the eight 
days of my sojourn here she has been ill, and I 






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THE M/iRRI/tGE OF GERARD 229 

^ave not been able to get a glimpse of her. She 
is better to day, but they refuse to allow me to 
enter. ” 

“They have good reasons to do so, and your 
persistence is very unbecoming. It is for me to 
see Mile. Laheyrard,” said M. de Seigneulles, 
lifting the knocker of the green gate.” 

"Permit me to enter with you,” said Gerard 
in an entreating voice. 

“Certainly not !” 

The gats was partly opened; Gerard seized his 
father by the arm. 

“Father,” he said, “you are going to see Hel- 
ene; be good to her; do not make me desperate.” 

“By the pope^s shoe! Are you giving me les- 
sons in manners? Attend to your own affairs; 
or better still, return home.” The Chevalier 
spoke as if the Rue du Tribel was only around 
the corner from the Rue de Vaugirard. “Or 
rather,” he added after a moment^ s hesitation, 
“wait for me here.” 

He entered the court; the great gate closed 
behind him. He had prepared a card upon which 
was written: “The Chevalier de Seigneulles 
wishes to have an interview with Mile. Lahey- 
rard.” He charged the janitress to deliver this 
to the young girl, and in a few moments he was 


230 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


ushered into a small apartment where Helene 
was at work. An ^tagere filled with books, sev- 
eral wicker chairs and a table upon which a rose 
bloomed in a glass of water composed the 
furniture of this room, into which the Chevalier 
made his stately entrance, his head erect in 
his white cravat, his eyebrows contracted, and 
his lips compressed. 

Helene, still agitated by the announcement of 
this unexpected visitor, stood near the table. 
Her beautiful blonde hair, whose lovely disorder 
had so scandalized M. de Seigneulles in the past, 
was now tied back with a blue ribbon which set 
off discreetly her pale face. 

“Mademoiselle,’ he said brusquely, “I am M. 
de Seigneulles.” 

Helene bowed. “I have- never been easy in my 
conscience about you,” he continued, “although 
in this unfortunate affair you have been most 
to blame — ” 

“Monsieur,” she cried, interrupting him with 
vivacity, “you are cruel. Have 1 not punished 
myself sufficiently already, by separating myself 
from those I love? You should spare me these 
reproaches, even though merited.” 

The Chevalier felt surprised; Helene’s charm- 
ing voice touched him, in spite of himself, and 


THE MARRI/IGE OF GERARD 


231 


softened in a strange fashion the fibers of a 
heart as resisting as an old oak. He could not 
refrain from admiring the simple, dignified atti- 
tude of this young girl. He had expected giddy 
airs and tearful recriminations; and he was as- 
tonished at her manner, so proud, and yet at 
the same time so resigned. 

“Let me finish,” he said. “You did not un- 
derstand me. Your personal conduct does not 
concern me, but it is my duty to be concerned 
about my son and to repair his folly. I am a 
gentleman and I owe it to the honor of my 
family.” 

“Pardon me, Monsieur,” said Helene, “but I 
do not understand you fully.” 

“I will express myself clearly,” replied the 
Chevalier, impatient at Mile. Laheyrard^s want 
of perspicuity, adding bluntly: “My son has done 
you a wrong and we owe you compensation.” 

“Compensation!” said Helene looking at him 
in amazement. 

“Yes,” he continued, “as hard as it may be to 
make the sacrifice, we are in the habit of paying 
our debts without contending about the amount.” 

This time the young girl trembled, believing 
that M. de Seigneulles had conceived the idea of 
offering her pecuniary compensation as the price 


232 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


of her absence from Juvigny. The blood mounted 
to her cheeks and with that promptness of speech 
that was habitual with her, she answered indig- 
nantly: 

‘‘Have I heard you aright? What do those 
words debt and payment signify? Have you come 
to me to set a price — “ 

These last words awakened in him all of his 
prejudices. He had for Parisians the mistrust 
of the provincial who always fears being cheated. 
The native suspicion and finesse of the Lorraine 
born now got the best of him. He thought he 
had perhaps to deal with one of those crafty per- 
sons who would force him to bid high for her 
resistance, and he resolved to try Helene. He 
scrutinized her closely with his keen gray eyes. 
“And what will that be?” he said boldly. 

"It would be for me the greatest of in- 
sults!” 

"Then you refuse my offers whatever they may 
be?” 

"Yes, assuredly,” said Helene with emphasis, 
"You must indeed think wretchedly of me! I am 
not noble by birth, but my heart is as honorable 
as yours. Not another word, sir; I will retire.” 

She took several steps towards the door. 
The Chevalier was greatly confused, but inward- 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


233 


ly delighted; he gazed at her with increasing 
benevolence. 

“Sangrebleu!” he muttered, “you shall not for 
all that prevent me from repairing my son^s of- 
fense. ’’ 

“One is not offended with people for being 
loved,” she answered with a sad smile, “and the 
wrongs of which you speak are imaginary.” 

“Imaginary? Hardly that, since he has forced 
you to leave Juvign5\” 

'My departure was planned months ago, and 
I have only left a few weeks sooner than I ex- 
pected. ” 

“But 3^ou -you are compromised! ” 

“In the eyes of some people who hate me, 
perhaps; but in my eyes, and in tlie eyes of those 
who love me, not in the least. And why should 
I be? Because I have loved some one honestly, 
and because I have gone away to keep from being 
a source of trouble to those I love? No, sir, my 
conscience is clear and my honor is intact.” 

“Pardon me,” said the Chevalier, “but that is 
not what is said by your best friends.” 

“And what do they say?” cried Helene in as- 
tonishment. 

“They pretend—” he began, “but the thing is 
not easily explained.” He hesitated, looking for 


234 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


a moment at the charming face of the young girl, 
her intelligent brow; her clear honest eyes; her 
spirituelle mouth, whose firm, fresh lips seemed 
never to have spoken a lie. The poor old Chev- 
alier became more and more embarrassed. 

“Pardon me,” he continued in a more gentle 
voice, “if I dwell upon this delicate subject, but 
I came here to speak frankly. They are con- 
vinced at Juvigny that my son — I blush in speak- 
ing it to you — that Gerard has wronged you 
gravely, that if you have left the town it was to 
conceal — ” 

As he spoke Helene’s eyes opened wider and 
wider. She blushed at first, then suddenly grew 
very pale, and her white lips quivered. She could 
not articulate a word, but made a gesture en- 
treating him to be silent; then she sat down in 
a chair and leaned against the table, her counte- 
nance downcast and her eyes blankly staring be- 
fore her. 

“Me! Mel” she murmured. 

M. de Seigneulles gazed at her with anxiety 
and began to regret that he had spoken so 
roughly. 

The ancient guardsman was more at his ease 
facing the barricade, in 1830, than in the presence 
of this youhg girl bowed down in her mute grief. 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


2B5 


There was so much sincerity in her voice, such 
an expression of brave honesty in all of her feat- 
ures that he was ashamed to have believed so 
readily the gossips of Juvigny. 

'‘Mademoiselle,’’ he said meekly. , 

Helene continued to sob. "O my father, 1113- 
poor father!” she cried. At the thought of the 
despair of M. Laheyrard when these calumnies 
reached his ears, her own grief became uncon- 
trollable. It was the unaffected, inordinate grief 
of a child — a storm of tears that never seemed 
to stop. 

M. de Seigneulles was profoundly moved by 
this scene of desolation. Remembering the after- 
noon when he had witnessed the tenderness of the 
young girl for her father, he recalled how touch- 
ing was that affection, and understood the terrible 
anguish in Helene’s cry. 

“Her first thought was of her father,” he 
thought, "surely I have misjudged her.” 

He approached her with a repentant, respect- 
ful mien, and at that moment her blonde head 
yielded to the weight of that heavy affliction and 
she fell forward on the table. M. de Seigneulles 
believed that she had fainted; at a loss for what 
to do, becoming more and more excited and nerv- 
ous, he knelt on the floor before her and with 


236 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


the tender precaution of a father for a sick child 
he imprinted a kiss upon her hand. 

“Pardon me,” she said through her tears, “but 
this has been too much for me; the blow was so 
violent and unexpected — I thought of my father^ s 
agony when he heard these malicious reports. 
How thoughtless I must have been that they 
should imagine such a thing! I beg of you not 
to believe that I am guilty. Your son’s love for 
me has always been as respectful as it was de- 
voted. I swear it to you, and he himself will 
affirm it. Why has he not already told you?” 

“Why?” stammered the confused Chevalier. 
“It is because I have not allowed him to speak; 
I have treated him like a milk-sop. “But,” he 
continued earnestly, “his word is needless. I 
believe you, Madamoiselle, and kneeling at 
your feet I ask you to pardon me.” 

Helene wiped the tears from her eyes, and 
perceiving that he was on his knees before her, 
she held out her band to assist him to arise. 

“You owe me no apologies, M. de Seigneulles ; 
it is I who should demand 3^our forgiveness, for 
having so thoughtlessly disturbed your peace of 
mind, by my foolish behavior. You must be 
indulgent with me, for I have been badly brought 
up. Since we came to live at Juvigny, I have 









•m 






THE MARRMGE OF GERARD 


237 


been permitted to do as I chose; my mother 
scarcely noticed me, and my father" — she smiled 
sadly — "was never like other fathers. He spoiled 
me terribly.” 

"But you loved him,” sighed M. de Seign- 
eulles. 

"Oh! yes, and here my greatest sorrow, every 
day, is that I am no longer able to embrace him 
as in the past.” 

"Have patience,” he said gently, "you will be 
recompensed on your return.” 

Helene shook her head sadly. 

"I will never return to Juvigny,” she said res- 
olutely. 

"You must not say that. I will force you to 
return. ” 

"You, Mon.sieur! ” she cried in amazement. 

"I? certainly. Do you think that I would have 
been jolted about for eight hours on that miser- 
able train just to make you weep? Do you not 
understand why I am here?” 

Gradually Helene’s face brightened. "But, 
Monsieur,” she stammered, ”I believe — I do not 
know — ” 

"You no longer love my son! ” 

She blushed, and her lips moved, but she was 
unable to utter a word. 


238 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


“Do not answer me," exclaimed the Chevalier 
impetuously. “Wait until I return.” 

He hastened from the room ; descended the 
stairway four steps at a time, and ran to find 
Gerard who was awaiting him, a prey to all the 
terrors of imagination and expectation. 

“Follow me!" said M. de Seigneulles with an 
imperious air. 

They lightly remounted the stairway, to 
the great amazement and amusement of the pu- 
pils of Madame Le Mancel’s institution, who 
were watching them with curiosity. When they 
entered the little room where Helene stood trem- 
bling and expectant, asking herself if she were 
dreaming, the Chevalier made her a profound 
bow. 

“Mademoiselle,” he-^aid, “I have the honor to 
demand your hand in marriage for my son, Ger- 
ard de Seigneulles;" then turning towards his 
son, “Go, Gerard, and kiss the hand of your 
betrothed ” 

There was a cry, a double cry of joy in the 
little room of the school, as Gerard grasped 
Helene^ s hands and covered them with kisses. 
The sun itself had his share in the festivities; the 
October mist was rent by a bright ray that came 
through the curtains and rested upon the blonde 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


239 


ringlets of the young girl, on the petals of the 
rose, and upon the head of Gerard, bending over 
her whom he loved. In one corner of the room 
sat the austere Chevalier, contemplating that 
love scene; and as he saw those caresses a 
strange huskiness rose in his throat. At last, 
tears rushed to his eyes, and, ashamed of his 
emotion, he tried to hide it with an oath; "San- 
grebleu!” he growled. 

This exclamation caused Helene to raise her 
head, and withdrawing her hands from Gerard's 
kisses, she made a rapid sign towards his father. 
He comprehended and ran to the old nobleman 
who pressed him to his heart; and for the first 
time an embrace of true affection united M. de 
Seigneulles and his son. 

The excitement at Juvigny was great when the 
curious crowds who gathered in front of the 
Hotel Rose d'Or, awaiting the arrival of the 
omnibus from Blesmes, saw descending, one 
morning, Gerard, followed by Helene and the 
Chevalier. M. de Seigneulles, rejuvenated ten 
years, drew himself up proudly and offered his 
arm gallantly to Helene; while Gerard, whose 
radiant face revealed his happiness, walked by 
her side; and the three climbed lightly to the 


340 


THE MARRIAGE OF GERARD 


upper town, by way of the clock-tower, while 
the shopkeepers standing in their doorways 
watched them pass. 

The Chevalier^ s respectful manner and the 
smiling countenance of Gerard indicated clearly 
enough what would be the denouement of that 
adventure, but, if there were any skeptical minds 
that still had their doubts, the triumphant face 
of Madame Laheyrard was enough to dissipate 
them forever. The wife of the Inspector was 
prodigiously puffed up with pride, and gave vent 
to her joyous loquacity in hackneyed and noisy 
confidences. As is so frequent in small towns, 
a sudden revulsion of feeling took place, and the 
prejudices amassed against Helene gave way to 
indignant protestations at the public calum- 
nies that had caused her such grief, each one 
affirming that from the first he or she had pre- 
dicted a happy termination of Gerard’s love. 
Even Magdelinet flattered himself that he had 
aided the blissful result. As happiness never 
comes singly, the marriage of Helene and Gerard 
achieved a triumph over tlie scruples of Madame 
Grandfief. She accepted her fate with a good 
grace, and agreed that Marius Laheyrard should 
marry Georgette; so the Abb6 Valland had the 






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THE MARRMGE OF GER/IRD 


241 


joy of blessing the two charming couples, one 
after the other. 

After his marriage, the poetic varnish of 
Marius, which was only skin deep, scaled off rap- 
idly; underneath appeared the bourgeois, and 
the author of the "Poems Orgiaques’’ became an 
honest Philistine, eating four meals a day, 
going to bed early, and sleeping admirably 
" without a dream of glory." Under the warm in- 
fluence of the love of Helene and Gerard, the 
somber house of the Chevalier was soon meta- 
morphosed, and M. de Seigneulles himself be- 
came young again, in heart, at least. 

But the most surprising effect of these two 
joyuus marriages was that they hastened a third 
one: that of Finoel. Out of spite, the hunchback 
suddenly decided to espouse Reine Lecomte. 
Henceforward, all went well with him; he was 
very happy and was blessed with many children. 


THE END 


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